Holiday Havoc
by Dyanne Hellen Sotobod
Summary: COMPLETE! As the holidays go by, Derek and Casey find themselves in situations hey never even imagined. Dasey.
1. Equations and Charts

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Life with Derek**_**. I wish I did, but I don't. I own nothing but the candy.**

**I've decided that I won't update if I don't have at least fifteen reviews from different people. This means that fifteen people must review. And don't expect to see anything posted on weekdays because it's not going to happen.**

_**Chapter 1**_

Casey looked over her history notes for he umpteenth time.

I. _Rebellions of 1837:_

_ - Lasted until 1838_

_ - Lower Canada:_

_ a. November, 1837_

_ b. Led by Robert Nelson & Louis-Joseph Papineau_

…

Casey yawned. Five more minutes until she could go home for the weekend. Five more minutes until she had two days at home. Those were good things. The bad part about the weekend was that she had to spend two whole days with _him_.

Casey turned around to see the object of that thought doing what she totally expected to see. The said person was talking to a curly-haired brunette. The brunette giggled as the boy smiled, said something, and touched her arm.

Turning back around in disgust, Casey thought, _Ugh! Sometimes Derek is just so… so… Derek-ish! Then again, that girl _is _brunette, not blonde. He becoming more diverse, I'll give him that much._

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Casey tuned into the announcements.

"… And now, for the first time ever, Sir John Sparrow Thompson High School is having a masked Halloween dance! Pick out your favourite costume and…"

_Sounds fun! _Casey thought. Apparently, the rest of the advisory class thought so too, as they had erupted into conversations concerning the announcement.

"Do we bring dates?" Emily asked her. Casey shrugged in response.

Once again turning around, Casey noticed a strange look on her stepbrother's face. He almost looked as if he were contemplating something. After a moment, she understood. Derek Venturi was doing a math problem.

_And I think I know the equation_, she told herself. _Masks plus girls plus dance equals make out city. Yep. That's Derek for you._

--

Derek had heard the announcement over the intercom, and the rusty gears in his head had begun turning almost immediately.

_Masks plus girls plus dance equals make out city! Thank you, Sir John Sparrow. We love you._

A smirk spread over his face, but it was soon wiped off by an annoying realization.

_Casey will be there, and she'll probably ruin everything. Argh! Sometimes she acts like such a… a… Casey! Yeah, that's it. I have to think of a way to keep her away from the party…_

BBBBBRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!!!!!

Students all over the school jumped out of their chairs at the dismissal bell. Derek stayed put, however, still forming a plan in his mind:

… _and have the aliens kidnap her and take her to… to… I never was good at geography… to… Thailand, and keep her there until the party's over. I'll pay them by–"_

"Derek?"

"He looked up at his stepsister. "Yeah?"

"Are you planning on spending the night here, or should we go home?"

"Stay in school or sleep in the same house as you? I'll take the school, thank you."

Casey sighed. "C'mon, Derek. Mom wants us home in twenty minutes."

"I'm perfectly capable of walking myself home. No need to wait for me." He stood and walked out of the advisory classroom.

"But if I don't wait for you, there won't be anyone to unlock your lips from those of some coffee-shop girl."

"This is true," he agreed as they made their way over to their lockers. "Why do you care?"

"I don't." Casey spun the dial and pulled up the latch on her locker door. "But if you get home late, we're _both_ in trouble."

"Whatever." Derek turned and walked away.

--

Casey made her way over to Derek's locker.

"Ready?"

"Almost," he responded. He suddenly stopped putting books in his bag. "Remind me why we have to be home at a specific time?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "Because we're watching Lizzie, Edwin and Marti tonight."

"And why should I leave you to do that by yourself?"

"You're getting paid," she tempted.

"OK, let's go then."

Trotting to catch up with him, Casey thought, _Typical Derek, always persuaded by money. Typical, typical, typical…_

--

All the way home, Derek contemplated the situation at hand.

When they reached the front door, he turne to Casey. "Why do they want both of us watching them? Am I not enough?"

She flashed him an unctuous smile. "They don't want our siblings to be corrupted by your influence."

"_They don't want our siblings to be corrupted by your influence_," he mimicked in a high-pitched, nasal voice.

"Jerk."

"Perfectionist."

"Sloth."

"Princess."

"Ignoramus."

"What's that?"

A smug grin spread over Casey's features. "I rest my case." She opened the door and went inside.

Still confused, Derek followed her.

"I think they'll be together by Boxing Day."

"Boxing Day?" Edwin questioned. ""Let's be realistic, Lizzie. I say they'll be together on Valentines Day, at the soonest."

"OK, Edwin," Lizzie countered, "now that we've set our dates, let's say that whoever is closer wins."

"Done." Edwin stuck out his hand, which Lizzie immediately shook.

"What are you two talking about?" Derek asked, becoming more confused by the second.

Edwin and Lizzie looked up, noticing they weren't the only ones in the room.

"Uh…" Edwin began.

"We're betting on how soon these two people we know will get together," Lizzie clarified.

"Edwin, have you been making charts again?" Casey asked.

"No! …Well, kind of…"

"Edwin," groaned the older kids.

"We've discussed this," Casey told him. "Don't make charts or graphs about other people's behaviour. Let their business be their business."

"We are not interfering, only betting. There's a difference," Lizzie explained.

Casey was silent. "Alright. As long as you're not messing things up, I guess you're fine." She went up the stairs to her room.

As soon as she was gone, Derek turned and smiled at the middle children. "So… About those charts…"

"No!" they shouted at the same time before bounding up the stairs.

Derek watched them ascend the steps and thought, _What strange kids_.

--

As he shut the door of he game closet, Edwin whispered, "Nice cover."

Lizzie turned towards him. "It wasn't a cover, it was the truth. We really do know them, and we really are betting on how soon they will get together."

"I mean that they thought we were talking about two kids from our school. They'll never guess we're talking about—"

"Edwin!" Lizzie hissed. "Not so loud! Someone might hear!"

"Right. Sorry. But Casey said we can't interfere, so how are we going to get them together at all?"

"Casey never said 'don't interfere.' She said 'as long as you're not messing things up.' We would be messing things up if we gave them a little push; we'd be making things better."

"I like the way you think. Let's begin."

The two children sat down in the small space and began to plan.


	2. As the Week Flies

**I know I don't have fifteen reviews, but I was getting impatient. This time, only ten and I'll update (on the weekend).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Life with Derek**_**. If I did, my life would be totally perfect.**

_**Chapter 2**_

On Monday, Casey walked to school with Emily. After relating everything that had happened the night before (It was a very eventful evening. One incident had something to do with Marti, the dishwasher, a tub of whipped cream, the TV remote, and a bottle of shampoo…), Casey brought up the subject of the dance.

"Did you catch the date of the dance?"

"It's actually on the day of Halloween. I am so excited! What are you going to wear?" Emily asked.

"I have no idea. I was thinking of going as a princess in honour of Derek," Casey sardonically replied.

"He still calls you that?"

"Unfortunately."

"It certainly is. I hope it's a date dance. Then Sheldon and I can have matching costumes…"

Casey wrinkled her nose. She still couldn't believe that Emily was dating _Sheldon Schlepper_. "You could still do your costumes together. It would look a little cheesy…"

"But people like cheesy! Cheesy is the way to go!"

"Yeah. And pigs fly."

"_Fine_. We won't do that." The two of them walked on for a minute or two before Emily continued, "I'm leaning towards a cat. Do you like that idea? Maybe I should…"

Casey tuned Emily out at this point and thought about her own relationship. She hadn't seen Max all day yesterday. Beginning to hope that the dance were a date dance herself, Casey wondered whether Max would want to take her or not. She knew she should trust him, but Casey had always been insecure when it came to boyfriends.

--

Derek closed his locker door to find that it had been concealing the girl from advisory.

_What's her name again? Terra? Kate? Maggie? Taylor? Maddy? McKinzie? Ellen?_

"Hi, Derek," the girl purred.

"Hi." _Katherine? Jessica? Mallory? Tiffany?_

"Have you asked anyone to the dance yet?"

"Are we supposed to?" _Hannah? Trinity? Brooke? Lucy?_

The girl giggled. "Of course! Weren't you listening to the announcement?"

He shrugged. "I guess I didn't hear that part." _Lisa? Kendal? Sarah? Carla?_

"So," the girl began. "Are you taking anyone?"

Derek immediately saw where this was going. _I asked her to tell me the history assignment, not to be my personal stalker! Ok, so maybe I didn't _just_ ask her for the assignment…_ "Actually, yes, I am taking someone. I'm taking… Kendra! Right, Kendra?"

Kendra was only passing by when she heard her name. "Uh… Right, Derek!"

"Oh." The girl's face fell. "Well, I guess I'll see you later." She walked away dejectedly.

Kendra approached Derek. "You're taking _me_ to the dance? That's the best you could you do? Derek, there's a major problem with that excuse: Josh is taking me!"

"Shhh! Not so loud! She won't find out. You two haven't gone public yet."

"But at the dance—"

"We'll all be wearing masks. She won't be able to figure out who we are."

"Interesting point."

At that moment, the two-minute warning bell sounded.

"See you later, Derek."

Kendra walked to her first period class, leaving Derek to his thoughts. _I've got two minutes. I can pull a prank on Casey, do something to Max's locker and jersey, and still have time to be late to English. Life couldn't get much better._ Derek smiled as he began to walk towards the football locker-room.

--

"Correct this sentence, 'I wish it was Friday.'"

Casey's hand shot up.

"Miss McDonald."

"It should be, 'I wish it _were_ Friday.'"

"That is right." Mrs. Samuels wrote another sentence on the board. "Now correct this one."

Casey's hand shot up in the air.

Mrs. Samuels sighed. "Anyone _besides_ Miss McDonald?"

The classroom door opened and in walked Derek Venturi. Casey could sense all of the girls in the room fixing their hair and clothes. Derek sat down at his desk directly behind hers.

"Mr. Venturi, you're late. For that, you'll have to tell me what's wrong with this sentence, 'Whom do you wish me to give this to?'"

Derek looked at the board and answered, "There's nothing wrong with it."

Mrs. Samuels looked at the board. "You're right. There _is_ nothing wrong with it."

Casey nearly had a heart attack. _Derek got a grammar question right? That's impossible! It's _Derek.

She thought about that occurrence for the rest of the period. After class, she was getting her books out of her locker when two girls began talking about her stepbrother.

"Not only is he athletic, sweet, and gorgeous, he's also smart!"

"Why is that a good thing?"

"Because it means he's not the kind of guy who sits at home all day watching TV. He's able to do something productive."

Casey choked back a laugh.

--

The rest of the week flew by with nothing even remotely interesting happening. Sure, Casey had yelled at Derek when Max had come out of the locker-room on Monday wearing a pound of sour cream, and she had gotten mad at him again when she had found her physics binder switched with Emily's, but apart from that, life was boring.

Derek sat at his computer checking the line-up for the next game.

_Patrick Wilson (Michelle? Lauren? Haley?), Tyler Lohsey (Annabelle? Claire? Natalie?), Jack McGonnagan…_

"Derek?" Nora stuck her head into his room.

"Mmhmm?"

"Are you available the thirty-first?"

"Need a hot date, Nora?" He spun the chair around and raised his eyebrows.

Nora laughed. "Not this time. I need a baby-sitter…"

_October thirty-first. The date of the dance!_ "Sorry, but I've got plans." An idea suddenly hit him. "But Casey's free."

"Thank you. I'll go ask her."

_Rats._ Derek jumped up as Nora headed into Casey's room. He put an ear up against the thin wall.

"Casey?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Can you baby-sit on the thirty-first?"

"Mmhmm." She was clearly distracted.

"Alright then. Thanks, Sweetie."

"Mmhmm."

Derek smirked and went back to his computer. Casey wasn't going to the dance and he was. Could life get any more perfect? _Ashley? Kimberly? Amanda? …_

--

Lizzie walked into Casey's room just as Nora was leaving.

"Casey, could I talk to you? It's about Max."

"Talk," Casey prompted while reading a large pamphlet.

Lizzie took a deep breath. "Well, do you trust Max? I mean, he seems like another Scott, don't you think?"

"Mmhmm."

"You do?" Lizzie couldn't believe her luck. This was going to be easy.

"Absolutely." Casey got up from the computer and picked up a manila folder stuffed with papers. She still read the pamphlet

"So… Are you going to dump him?" _Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes!_

"Of course."

"That's gr- that's too bad. Really. Why are you going to?"

Casey looked up from the packet she was reading. "I'm sorry Lizzie, could you start over? I wasn't really paying attention."

_So much for being easy._ "Actually, you seem kind of busy. I'll go ask mom."

"But I thought—"

Lizzie was already out the door. Derek stuck his head into the hallway just as she was passing by.

Casey did the same and asked him, "Was it something I said?"

When Lizzie reached the bottom of the stairs, Derek was still laughing at Casey, clearly having heard every single word.

--

"Sorry, Liz, but I think it's gonna take more than suggesting she break up with Max while she's completely distracted."

"Well what have you done?"

"Nothing. At the rate your plans are working, I'll definitely win."

"Edwin, this isn't about us. It's about _them_."

Edwin considered this for a moment. "Maybe you're right."

"What was that?" Lizzie put a hand to her chest in mock disbelief.

"I said _'maybe.'_ I'm not agreeing with you."

Lizzie gave him a look.

"OK, I'm agreeing with you. I guess that means I should help?"

Lizzie nodded.

"Fine. We officially start tomorrow."

--

**Not exactly my favourite chapter, but it'll do. So basically we have one or two more chapters until the dance itself. It's not going to end immediately after the dance. It's actually going to drag out a little past New Year's Day. That is why I changed the title. And for further reference, the rating may change. It depends on how many people at school tell me to change it. Cathy's absolutely no help at all. She's just obsessed with boys and getting me together with a guy I do not get along with at all (I hope you're reading this, Kitty.). **

**I do accept flames. A marshmallow doesn't get toasty, gooey, and delicious without a little fire!**


	3. Derek's Victory & Casey's Doubts

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned this show, but I don't. How awful is that?**

**OK… Before I start, I want to address a review that I got for Chapitre Deux (Chapter two). Yes, the "Was/Were" question was a little elementary, especially at my school where one begins junior level English in fifth grade. I used that mistake because it drives me crazy and because I have seen people make more H errors on this site than any other error (except B, L, M, and N). If you have no clue what I'm talking about, I'm sorry.**

**And once again, I'm only asking for ten reviews; however, if I already have ten and you want to review, then review. I am not going to hunt anyone down if I get over ten reviews for this chapter.**

_**Chapter 3**_

Derek thought that he had seen Casey mad. He thought that he had seen her angry. He thought that he had seen her upset. He thought that he had seen her at her worst. But he had never seen her like this.

"DER-_EK_! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?"

He went for the sarcastic approach. "By simply thinking up a plan and putting it into practice."

Casey's eyes narrowed. "You've been thinking of this since last week in advisory, haven't you?"

_Advisory! Lilly… Morgan… Leah… Vanessa…_

"HAVEN'T YOU?" Casey's voice cut in.

"_CAROLINE!"_

"_What?"_ Casey shot him a confused, exasperated look.

"Nothing. Why does this one dance bother you so much? There will be one next year."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I've already started making my costume, Smart One."

"Thank you."

"Don't get smart with me!"

"Twice in five minutes. You really must think I'm intelligent."

"Not even close."

"Then how was I able to pull this off, hmm? Tell me _that_." She still thought that all of this had been his own doing and not the effect of his taking advantage of an opportunity.

"Because. Well… Just _because_."

He looked at her cynically.

"Because you're _Derek_, OK? I don't know how you do these things, but you do."

"What are you going to do about _this_?"

"I'll tell you what I'm going to do."

"That would be nice."

"BE QUIET!" Casey began moving towards him, backing him up against the wall. "I'm going to tell my mom that I can't watch them that night."

_Great_. He hadn't been expecting that.

"NO!" Lizzie and Edwin jumped out of Lizzie's room.

He hadn't expected that either.

"Casey, you can't tell Mom. You just can't!"

"Yeah!" Edwin agreed. "If you do, we'll be stuck with Mrs. Higginbotham."

"Ho much did you two hear?" Casey asked.

"All of it," Edwin replied. "Who's Caroline?" The last part was directed at Derek.

"I was wondering the same thing," Casey told him.

"Nobody. She's nobody," Derek explained hastily.

"So it _is_ a she," Edwin inferred.

"Of course she's a girl! Have you ever heard of a guy named Caroline? Of course Caroline's a girl!"

"So she _is_ a somebody."

"Yes! She's a person!"

"Is she hot?"

"Edwin…" warned Derek.

"Sorry."

"Casey, please don't say no!" Lizzie begged.

"Fine," complied the reluctant teenager. "I'll do it."

"Thank you!" the younger children cried as they threw their arms around her.

"How'd you meet her?" Edwin asked Derek after he pulled away.

"EDWIN!"

"Note taken. C'mon Liz, let's go."

After they were gone, Derek smirked at Casey. "Well I guess you're stuck at home on Halloween."

"Mmhmm. I want you to notice, though, that they were asking me to stay instead of you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes. "Figure it out."

--

As soon as she reached the kitchen, Lizzie smacked her forehead against her hand. "We're such idiots!"

"Why?" Edwin wanted to know.

"If she doesn't go to the dance, she can't break up with Max, and then all that we've worked for will be for nothing!"

"First of all, we haven't done that much. Second, we don't really have any reason for her to break up with him. And third, can't she just call him?"

"Casey doesn't use phones to break up with people. She has to do it face to face. She's not like Derek. And we do have a reason for her to break up with him! He's cheating on her!"

"How do you know?"

"I don't _know_, but I have a feeling that he is."

"How do you know this _feeling_ is right?"

Lizzie smiled. "Call it a gift. The McDonald girls are never wrong about these things."

"_Right_…" Edwin said sarcastically. "Just like you weren't wrong about Scott?"

"Irrelevant!"

"Are you two talking about Max?" a new voice asked.

Lizzie and Edwin turned and saw Marti wearing a pink ballet tutu, a robe from China Town, New York, a set of purple faerie wings, and a silver plastic tiara.

"Marti, what are you wearing?" Edwin asked.

"I'm a Japanese Ballerina Faerie Princess. Are you two talking about Max?"

"Yes, we're talking about Max," Lizzie informed her, not even bothering to correct Marti on the "Japanese" part of her title. "What do you think about Max?"

"I don't like him. He reminds me of Snot," she answered, calling Scott by his nickname he had branded him with.

"Really?" Lizzie gave Edwin a sideways glance. "Why?"

Marti shrugged. "I dunno. He just does."

"Thanks, Marti."

The little girl scampered off, doing a couple of turns that were supposed to be pirouettes.

"There you have it, Edwin." Lizzie gestured in the direction Marti had just gone. "From the mouth of an eight-year-old."

"I guess you might be right on this one. Fine, you're right," he corrected upon seeing her expression. "But isn't it best that Casey stays home? If Max is cheating on her-because he definitely is," he added hastily, "-he won't do anything if she's there."

"But if she's here, she won't be able to see anything."

"We just need to get her to agree to go the night of, when she doesn't have time to tell anybody."

"That's it then," Lizzie concluded.

"Yeah, that's it," Edwin agreed.

They stared at each other for a moment. Lizzie shook her head and muttered something about having to go to soccer practice, and Edwin said something about making a business proposition for his dad. On his way up the stairs and on her way out the door they bumped into each other, quickly murmured an apology, and nervously went their separate ways.

--

"I still can't believe Derek did that!" Emily stated.

Casey sighed. All week long, she would forget that she was watching the kids, would start working on the costume, remember that she wasn't going, and put it up sadly. Yesterday, she had finished it.

"I can believe it. What I can't believe is that I actually agreed."

Emily looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yeah, that _is_ the hardest part to believe."

Max, talking to one of the other football players, walked past them.

Casey then asked Emily a very strange question: "Em, why do you like Sheldon?"

Emily, sensing her friend's strange sadness, tried to make Casey laugh. "Because he's rich, has a car, takes me to nice restaurants—"

"No, Em, really."

"I don't know." Emily shrugged. "I just like him. I can't really help it."

"Do you ever feel like he's not perfect?"

"Well… he does have his faults, but I don't mind them. I rarely think about anyone else when he's around—"

"No. I mean, do you ever feel like there's someone else? Someone extremely close to you that you haven't noticed yet? Someone better than he is?"

"OK, Honey." Emily crossed her arms. "What's going on between you and Max? And who's this someone else?"

"I don't know! I just sometimes get the feeling that Max and I aren't supposed to be together. It's something Lizzie said…"

"What did Lizzie say?"

"I can't remember." Everything Lizzie had said was so cloudy, mostly because Casey hadn't been paying attention. All she could remember was that Lizzie had said "Max" and "Scott" in the same paragraph. When she told Emily this, she responded:

"So are you starting to compare Max and Scott? Is Scott the other guy? I thought you hated him!"

"No! I mean, I don't know. No, Scott's not the other guy. I said I don't know who the other guy is, remember?"

"I thought that part was just thrown in for drama."

"Emily! When do I ever throw things in for drama?"

Emily only raised her eyebrows.

"OK, I do it a lot."

"Just give it time, Case. I'm sure the break-up will be painless and—"

"Do you really think we're going to break up?" Casey asked hysterically.

Emily winced. "Forget I said that. Just give it time and I'm sure everything will work out."

"You do?"

"Absolutely."

"You're not a good liar, Em."

"OK, no. I'm, positive it won't. But don't mind me! It's not my relationship!"

The two-minute bell sounded and Casey ran to third period feeling significantly less secure than she had when second had ended.

--

**That was long. But there is an even longer chapter coming up (that one will probably force me to bump the rating up). And it's still the weekend for me, so I'm justified in posting this now. The next chapter contains a brief summary of the next week and the first half on the thirty-first.**

**Raise your hand if you think Lizzie and Edwin are betting on Casey and Derek!**

… **Now tell me if you raised your hand.**

**While we're on that subject, would someone kindly point out where I said they were betting on Casey and Derek? I can't seem to find it…**

**TEN REVIEWS!!!!! XD**


	4. Halloween Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Life**__**with**__**Derek**_**. And now I'm going to go curl up in a corner and cry because I don't.**

**I'm going CRAZY!!!!! I seriously can't find any spot where Lizzie and Edwin say that they are betting on Casey and Derek! I mean, I wrote the story and I can't find it! This is a definite sign that Kitty is right and I belong in a mental institute.**

**And I know I didn't update last week. After second period I said that I would be posting, but all of my teachers after third don't understand what the word "week-end" means. I promise I'll make it up.**

**But not today.**

**Anyway…**

**Twelve reviews.**

_**Chapter 4**_

"Edwin," Lizzie began as soon as the games closet door was closed, "we need to change the bet."

"Do you doubt you'll win?" Edwin grinned.

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "_No_, it's just that they may never go out."

"Why do you think that?"

"Consider whom we're dealing with."

Edwin thought for a moment. "Let's change it. What if instead of going out, they just have to make out."

"Works for me."

They shook hands.

--

On Wednesday Derek's costume finally arrived. He had gotten an old girlfriend to make it for him in exchange for a small, eight-minute make out session.

He would be going as Prince Charming. It was an unusual action for him, but girls always fell for the Prince Charming guy. Besides, no one would recognize him.

_Friday will be the perfect day. And Casey won't be able to ruin it._ He began singing "Uptown Girl" while trying to find a good place to stash his costume.

"You're off key!" Casey shouted through the thin wall.

He sang twice as loud.

--

Casey tried to tune out the noise coming from Derek's room, noise being the operative word. She had never me anyone who could sing like a dying polar bear, but Derek could.

After a minute, she put in her iPod headphones and hit play. Softly at first, she sang along.

"Ooh I love the way you-"

Derek's voice was still coming through the wall. "… girl, she knows I've-"

Casey sang a little louder. "… way you love me. There's nowhere else I'd rather be-"

"… tired of her high-class boys-" Derek was singing louder.

"… feel the way I feel with your-" So was Casey.

Before long, what had begun as an attempt to drown the other person out became a battle to see who could sing louder.

"Would you two just SHUT UP?!" Edwin and Lizzie yelled simultaneously as they stormed into their siblings' rooms.

Casey looked up in shock. "We're we really that loud?"

Lizzie glared at her. "Mrs. Davis seemed to think so. Keep it down. Edwin and I are trying to do our homework." She stomped out.

Casey stared after her in confusion. _She's _never _gotten that mad. I wonder what's wrong?_

--

"And then he just stomped out of the room?"

"He just stomped out of the room," Derek confirmed.

"Literally stomped, or—"

"Sam, the floor was shaking."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow." Derek sighed. Two days before, Lizzie and Edwin had seriously overstepped the rights of sibling seniority by telling Casey and Derek to shut-up.

"So," Sam began as he and Derek began walking to third period, "are you ready for tonight?"

Derek grinned. "I was born ready."

--

Casey searched the kitchen for a pizza coupon. Only a few mintes ago George and Nora had left for Nora's company's party. Now it was only a matter of time before she heard—

"Case! I'm leaving!"

That.

"Bye, Derek!"

"Don't you want to look at my costume?"

"Not really." She yanked open another drawer.

"It's the one on the right side of the stove. They're underneath all the business and Christmas cards."

"How do you know what I'm looking for?"

She could almost hear him roll his eyes. "Call it a gift. Are you sure you don't want to see the costume?"

"Leave, Derek." She pulled open the drawer next to the stove. Sure enough, right beneath a Christmas card from a certain Herman Trolinsky, were enough pizza coupons for a lifetime.

The front door closed.

"Casey, could you order pepperoni?" Edwin called.

"Sure."

As soon as the pizza was on its way, Casey put in a movie for Lizzie and Edwin, who didn't really watch the movie at all but kept looking at eachother out of the corners of their eyes, and tried to find a story to read to Marti.

"Spasey, I want the one about the princess that has a cat named Acorn!"

"Marti, I don't know where that book is."

"It's not a book, it's a story! Tell me the story!"

"I don't know that one, Marti."

Marti sighed heavily. "I'll tell you. Once upon a time…"

Casey listened as the little girl continued on with the long faerie tale.

"… And they all lived happily ever after. The end. OK, Spacey, can you tell the story now?"

"Marti, you just told it to yourself."

The child blinked as she tried to process this. "I told myself a story? I can tell myself stories!" Excited by this discovery, she bounced up the stairs.

"Casey?"

"Yeah?"

Edwin and Lizzie rose off of the couch. "We've been thinking about the dance," Lizzie continued. "We think that you should go."

Casey shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm supposed to be watching you, remember?"

"Yeah, but we can take care of ourselves," Edwin countered. "Besides, if anything goes wrong, we can always call you."

Casey looked at her siblings. "OK, fine," she agreed, hoping that she sounded genuinely reluctant, even though she was ecstatic. She went up the stairs to grab what she needed.

--

"Let's hope we get something out of this," Edwin muttered.

"Yeah, let's."

--

Casey quickly locked the door behind her. She was wearing her costume and carrying her mask and shoes, but considering the day, she didn't look that abnormal. Dropping her accessories in that bag that contained her hair and make-up supplies, Casey pressed 2 on her phone.

"C'mon, Em, pick up," she murmered.

"Hello?" Emily's voice was barely audible over the din of the crowd. "Is something wrong?"

"Em, how soon can you get to the girl's locker room? The one closest to the gym, I mean."

"Uh… In about five minutes. Why?"

"Meet me there in ten."

"Why? Casey!"

Casey shut the phone and picked up her speed.

--

Derek looked around the gym, bored to death. _Margaret Patterson? No, she's not a good kisser. Hannah Palmerton? No, I can't make out with her four times in one night…_

He hoped desperately for someone new.

_Oh, great. Caroline's walking over here._ He quickly turned away and saw something a little more unpleasant. _Is that Max? It _is _Max. Casey is going to be so upset when I tell her. Wait, why do I always have to be the good guy?_

--

Casey dashed into the locker room and saw Emily leaning against the counter.

"It's thirty-seven seconds past ten minutes. What took you so long?"

Casey tossed the bag down. "_Some_ people have a little further to run. How far is the gym from here, anyway? Ten steps?"

"Thirteen, actually. God, Casey, did you make that?"

Casey looked at herself in the mirror. Her full rose-coloured skirt fell to the floor gracefully. It was trimmed with a silver ribbon that almost looked blue, and her rose-coloured bodice was laced with the same ribbon. She smiled with pride. "Of course."

The girls set to work. While Emily tackled hair, Casey did her make-up and put on her silver heels. Finally, Casey's hair was perfectly curled, half up and set with a silver tiara. All was ready except for her mask.

Casey picked it up and looked at it. The silvery mask covered the top half of her face. It was lined with rose-coloured fresh-water pearls.

"I know it's beautiful, but we've got to go to a party."

"Right." Casey tied the mask behind her head. "Let's go."

--

Derek continued to scope out the room. _Mary Olyphant? Heck, no! Oh, gosh, here comes Caroline again. I really hope she's not following me because she recognizes me! No one's supposed to know who— Whoa. Who is that?_

He gazed boldly at a gorgeous girl who had just entered. She looked around hesitantly and then continued into the room. Derek made his way toward her.

--

_Is that Max? It_ is _Max._ Casey stared at her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend as he sat in a corner while making out with Kendra. Well, Kendra probably didn't know that she was making out with Max, so she was safe. But masked or not, Max had a girlfriend! At least he did.

_Note to Self: call Max. You need to dump him._

"Excuse me." Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Casey turned and saw a boy dressed in a blue velvet jacket trimmed with gold rope.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to dance?" the boy offered.

Casey didn't answer but took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor.


	5. Meetings & Truth

**Disclaimer: I'm really getting sick of these and the fact that I don't own **_**Life with Derek**_

**Are you ready for the moment of truth? I'm sick today so I can type as much as I wish to. In other words, I'll take… twelve reviews for this chapter and the last one combined. That means that there could be six on the last one and six on this one, three on the last one and nine on this one… You get it. The grand total is twelve.**

**And now for chapter five, which begins with a classic-style title:**

**In which the protagonists each meet someone and fall in love and later relate a sight that helps one of our young people win a bet.**

**I'll say no more.**

_**Chapter 5:**_

_Darn you, Noel,_ Derek seethed. _Darn you to heck._ _Why'd you have to ask _her _to dance?_ He glared at the figure in the velvet coat. The boy was dancing with the girl that Derek had seen as she walked in. _I saw her first!_

That kid had nerve. First he decided to dress as the same character as Derek, and then he decided to go for the same girl. Talk about annoying.

_Awww… Is that Tinker? Poor kid. He looks so lonely without Casey here. Ha! Maybe I shouldn't have made her watch the kids tonight. That way, she could dance with Tinker, Noel, and all those other guys who are in love with her. Why are they, anyway? It doesn't matter. I wouldn't let her dance with them. It would ruin her reputation, which I'd have to fix again. Wait, why would I do that? It would ruin mine, too. That's it. It would ruin my reputation and would bring her down, too. Hold up. Why do I even care if I bring her rep down? It can't be because I— OK, Derek. Stop thinking._

It wasn't that hard to do.

Finally, the song ended and Derek made his way over to the girl in the princess gown.

_Oh, great. Caroline._ As soon as her saw her, he quickly turned and went in the other direction. _Hey! There's a girl in a cat costume! I'll ask her!_

"Hey." He leaned against the wall next to her.

"Hey." She quickly scanned the crowd.

_Emily? This will _really _make Casey mad._ He grinned at the thought. "Do you want to dance?"

Emily shrugged. "I would, but I have a boyfriend."

"He won't get mad."

"Maybe. I don't know. OK, sure."

Derek led her to the dance floor. He looked over at the girl again, only to see her dancing with some other guy.

--

Casey laughed at what the boy had just said.

_I've been here for only two songs and I've already had two dance partners!_ The first had been Noel (she had recognized his voice), and she had a feeling that this was the boy who sat in front of her in math.

She looked to her right and saw Emily dancing with a boy who _was not Sheldon!_

She looked back at her own partner and noticed that he was waiting for a response. She gasped, hoping that it was the reaction he wanted. The guy smiled and continued talking.

As soon that song was over, she felt another tap on the shoulder. She turned around quickly and almost knocked over the boy that Emily had been dancing with.

"Oh, uh, hey." He looked down at the ground as ran a hand through his brown hair.

"Hey." She flipped the hair off her shoulder and rubbed the side of her neck.

"So, I was wondering if you'd want to dance with me?"

"Alright."

--

Derek looked into the girls blue eyes. He knew those eyes from somewhere, he just didn't know where he knew them from.

"So… What's your name?"

The girl blinked before answering. "Ashley." After a minute, she asked, "Yours?"

"Michael." **(A/N: I know they're named after the actors. And I know this is a little Cinderella-y. It's the only incredibly cliché part of the story.)**

"Michael," she repeated.

_Casey does that,_ he thought, _when she meets someone new. She repeats the name to remember it. Wait, why am I thinking about Casey?_ He looked at Ashley and asked her, "What grade are you in?"

"I'm a junior." **(A/N: It takes place a year from now. It was the only way I could make the date work.)**

"Me too!"

He smiled. She smiled. Normally he would put on his confident act, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to pull it off with Ashley. He searched is brain for another question.

--

For the next hour, Casey danced with Michael. She knew him from somewhere, she just didn't know where she knew him from.

They had tons of things in common, but even more differences. Casey was glad about this fact. It kept the conversation interesting.

After a while, they left the dance floor and continued talking in a corner. Michael ran a hand up her arm, sending shivers up and down her spine. He leaned in and kissed her softly. She immediately responded and the kiss deepened.

Suddenly, Michael pulled away. "C'mon." He grabbed her hand and started pulling her out of the gym.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

Michael pulled her out the door and into the hallway.

--

Derek moved quickly down the hallway, pulling Ashley with him. Finally, he stopped in front of a large, plain door.

"The janitor's closet?"

Derek shrugged at her question. "It's private."

"I can see that," she muttered, referring to th sign on the door. "We could get in a ton of trouble for being here."

"Don't worry so much. You'll end up like my sister. Do you have a bobby pin?"

"Are you seriously going to try to pick the lock?" she asked while removing a pin from her hair. She handed it to him. "I know you can pick a lock with a piece of wire, but I think the pin only works in cartoons…"

Derek tuned out while he operated on the catch. After about thirty-nine and a half seconds, he heard a click. Ashley stopped in mid-sentence.

"Or it could work in real life." He smirked and opened the door, placing the pin against the latch to prevent it from locking again.

They stepped in side as the door shut, but didn't lock, enveloping them in total darkness.

Derek gave her no time. He pressed his lips to hers passionately while she wound her arms around his neck. One of his hands ran up and down her back while the other ran from her hip to her knee. At his bidding, she tightened her grip and wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed her against a wall and began to untie her mask as his mouth trailed down her neck.

--

"Hello?" Lizzie answered the phone.

"Hey, Liz!"

"Mom! What's wrong?"

"We're coming home early. The boss fell down a flight of stairs and broke his leg and two fingers. I think he fractured his collar-bone but I'm not sure." She sounded extremely chipper.

"Where are you?"

"About thirty minutes away. We just wanted to give you four the heads up before we walked in the door. Oh, George, don't turn— Make that forty-five minutes. Bye, sweetie!"

Lizzie pressed "End" and then rapidly dialed Casey's number.

--

Michael's mouth had just Casey's when her phone began to vibrate.

She pulled back as he set her down. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

She turned away and flipped open her phone. "Hello?"

"Casey, you have to get home as fast as you can. Mom and George are going to be here in forty-five minutes! Get out of there and come home. We're all fine, but if they get here before you, none of us will be. Hurry!" Casey heard Lizzie hang up.

She shut her phone and put it back on the strap of her shoe. She rose to face Michael. "That was my sister. I've got to go."

"Oh. OK." He sounded disappointed. "Well, here, I guess." In the total darkness, she was able to take the mask from him and position it on her face.

She ran into the hallway and in the direction of the locker room.

_Grab the bag, get home, shower so you can remove your make-up and undo your hair, change into your PJ's… _

--

Derek listened as Ashley ran down the hallway.

_Wow. What an amazing girl._

He went back into the gym looking a little crest-fallen behind his re-tied mask. He looked around for Sam or someone else he could talk to.

_Oh, great. Here comes Caroline._ He walked quickly around the other side of the room.

--

Casey flung open the front door.

"How was your night?" Edwin asked from the couch.

"Other than seeing Max cheating on me, it was great!"

"What?" Lizzie and Edwin jumped up.

"What did you see?" Lizzie asked.

"I saw Max making out with Kendra—"

"Ha!" Lizzie looked at Edwin triumphantly. "Edwin Venturi, you owe me fifty bucks!"

"Darn," he muttered.

"What?" Casey asked.

--

**MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**That was a long chapter, but it won't be the longest.**

**And for those of you who still think that Lizzie and Edwin were betting on Casey and Derek in the first few chapters, I pity you. Pity. Learn the word and understand it. PITY. P-I-T-Y.**

**Twelve reviews for this one and the last one.**


	6. After Midnight

**Disclaimer: You should know by now that I don't own **_**Life with Derek**_

**I love reverse psychology, don't you? I really have used a good amount of it in this story.**

**And to answer the questions about Casey recognizing people's voices, she and Derek both have selective hearing. It's where you listen to what you want to listen to and recognize the voices that you want to recognize, but you don't listen to or recognize anything else. I sort of established Casey's selective hearing in chapter two…**

**Let's move on, shall we?**

_**Chapter 6:**_

"What?" Casey asked.

Lizzie and Edwin turned toward her.

"Well…" Lizzie looked at Edwin.

"You see…" Edwin looked back at Lizzie.

"Do you remember the day that you and Derek walked in while Edwin and I were making a bet?"

"Yeah, it was a month ago," Casey replied. "You said you were betting on two kids you knew…" her voice trailed off as she realized what had happened.

"We _do_ know Max and Kendra. We were betting on how soon they would get together."

"Lizzie said by Boxing Day, and I said by Valentines Day," Edwin offered. "Not long ago we changed 'get together' to 'make out.'"

"So you two were betting on my boyfriend and Kendra?" Casey asked.

"Well, yes. What are you going to do," Edwin inquired, backing up in fear.

"What am I going to do? What am I going to _do_? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Tomorrow, I'm going to call Max and tell him we're over."

"_Call_ him? Oh my gosh. Did you heard that, Lizzie?" Edwin asked in mock disbelief. "She's going to _call_ him. Can you believe it?"

Lizzie glared at him before looking back at Casey.

"I'm just going to go change before Mom and George get home." Casey ran up the stairs and into her room.

--

Derek entered the gym and looked around for Sam.

"Hey…"

He spun around. _Great… What's wrong with me? I'm usually glad when a girl likes me…_ "Hey, Caroline."

Caroline blinked in shock. "How did you know…?"

"Lucky guess."

"Oh." She took a few seconds to recover before continuing, "So, do you mind telling me who you are?"

"Hey, man." Sam walked up and put his arm around Derek's shoulders. "I've been looking for you."

"Yeah, same. Bye, Caroline." The two boys walked away quickly.

"Wait!" Caroline cried, but they didn't stop.

"What's up with you?" Sam asked as soon as they were on the other side of the gym. "You've been avoiding that girl all night!"

"I don't know."

"Are you running a fever? Should I go find Paul?"

"You mean Casey's lifeline? Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"What's bugging you?"

"Do you know any junior girls named Ashley?"

"Well… There's Ashley Speills…"

"No, she's blonde."

"So you need a brunette Ashley. Why didn't you say so? Ashley Smith, Ashley Hutchinson…"

"No! I mean one that I don't know."

"A junior girl you don't know… Derek, that's impossible."

"Not if she's new."

"Use a yearbook, or the directory."

Derek sighed and leaned against the wall.

"So…" A grin spread across Sam's face. "When are you telling Casey that her boyfriend was making out with your ex?"

--

Casey pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail. She took a quick glance in the mirror to make sure her make-up was off.

As she went down the stairs, she asked, "What are you watching?"

Lizzie turned around. "_The Pink Panther_. Do you want to—" She stopped short.

"What," Casey asked nervously. "What are you staring at?"

"Uh…" Lizzie shook her head before pointing at her sister and asking, "Is that a hickey?"

Edwin looked at the spot Lizzie was pointing at. His jaw dropped.

Casey put her hand on the right side of her neck.

"Other side… A little higher… Not that high… A little to the left… No, no, my left… Right there."

Casey pressed the spot and her eyes widened. "No." She ran back up the stairs.

Behind her she heard Edwin say, "It's a hickey," and Lizzie agreed, "It's a hickey."

When she got up to her room, she looked at the bruise in the mirror. Grabbing some cover-up, she made the spot disappear just as the front door opened.

"Kids, we're home!" George called.

Casey dashed to her computer, opened her physics paper, and began typing.

Nora poked her head in and asked, "Was tonight alright?"

"Yeah."

"What's that?"

"Physics."

"OK. Thanks for putting Marti down. We were worried we'd come home and still find her awake."

"Do you honestly think I'd keep a nine-year-old up past one?"

Nora smiled. "No, I didn't, but even if she's in her room, she never really does go to sleep."

"True." Casey turned away from the computer screen.

"Well, thank you anyway."

"You're welcome." _I have to thank those two again,_ Casey thought as the door closed. She looked at what she had typed, reviewing the trail her mind had followed in that short time span.

_Mike car mom door lock Miss Blassingame purple Marti pillow sibling Derek jerk Max turkey musical._

Confused, she deleted the mess of words and hit save. The report was finished. It had been for two days, but Mrs. Wells was not letting anyone turn a paper in until Tuesday.

Suddenly feeling tired, Casey slipped beneath the covers and almost instantly fell asleep.

--

Derek pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. He put his head on top of the steering wheel and sighed.

No one knew Ashley. At least not the Ashley he was looking for. On top of that, he'd have to tell Casey about Max.

_That will be pleasant. She'll probably start crying. Joy._

He got out and walked into the house, carefully locking the door behind him. Looking at his watch, he thought, _Almost three. Take the stairs quietly…_

_CREAK_

He jumped off the step and waited, frozen, for the sound of footsteps, a sign that the squeaky step had woken someone up. When no noise came, he jumped over the step and continued upstairs. As he passed Casey's door, he dared to peek inside.

_She's asleep. At least I can put this off until the morning. I really need to stop being so nice to Casey… Casey! Maybe she knows Ashley… I'll ask her about Ashley and then tell her about Max… Or maybe I should use the news about Max as a lubricant… "Hello, Casey! Your boyfriend was making out with another girl last night!" Give me a break. What kind of lubricant is that?_

He shut the door quietly, puzzling over the softest way to break the news. _So that she won't cry. Not that I care about her. I just don't do tears. Gosh, I get the weirdest thoughts when I start thinking…_

He undressed and fell into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

--

**Yes, it's been too long. I'll give an excuse in the next chapter… or whenever I think of a good one… Just kidding! I have a plausible reason for not updating in so long. And now I'm rambling.**

**Dix revues, s'il vous plaît.**

**Ten reviews, please.**


	7. Relationships

**Disclaimer: I'm really getting sick of these. We all know I don't own the show. If I did, we wouldn't **_**need**_** any Dasey stories.**

**Oy! It's been a while. I just got back from a ski trip. I love Deer Valley. But now that I'm home, I'll be sitting at my computer until school starts. If Kitty would just bring me my meals, I'd hardly have to leave…**

**And I'm absolutely thrilled that Casey and Max broke up (Very Derekus Christmas). Pizza party at my place!**

**You people must love the fact that I'm so darn impatient. I'm not waiting until the weekend to post, I promise! I've got about five chapters that are already typed. In other words: Review, review, review! I still want ten for this chapter, and I won't update until I have TEN!!!**

_**Chapter 7:**_

"Casey–"

"Max, it's over."

"Casey, do you really want to do this?"

"Yes, I really do."

"Be reasonable–"

"Reasonable? You were with another girl last night! You're asking me to be reasonable?"

"Casey–"

"No! I'm done with this conversation!"

"Casey! No! Don't hang up the–"

She closed the phone and put it on her desk. Suddenly, the room felt confining.

"I need to get out."

She picked up her phone and pressed 2.

--

"Don't tell me your regretting it!"

"Of course not! I only regret that I didn't do it sooner."

"So you're happy with this?" Emily asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know! You just looked really sad. You know if you don't want it, I'll take it."

"Wait!" Casey stopped and looked at Emily. "Are you talking about Max?"

"Are you?"

"Yeah. What were you talking about?"

"That dress you just bought."

Casey was about to reply, but her phone buzzed. _Derek._

"Are you gonna take that?" Emily asked her.

"Nope." Casey put her phone back in her purse.

"What do you think he wanted?"

"Money, a ride, food… I don't really care."

"You care. You try not to show it, but you care."

"I so do not!"

"You threw him a surprise party when he turned 16!"

"A party that you and Sam helped with!"

Casey's phone buzzed again. Exasperated, she whipped it out and all but shouted, "What?" Emily pressed her ear to the other side of the phone.

"Casey? Is this a bad time?"

"Oh, hi, Kendra. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Max?"

"Derek."

"Oh. OK." Kendra was silent for a moment. "Casey, I didn't know who he was! If I had known, I wouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry!"

"Kendra, it's fine. I've got to go, but just know that I'm not mad at you."

"Really? Thanks, Casey! I'll see you on Monday!"

"Yeah. Bye." Casey closed her phone and looked at Emily. "That was different."

"Tell me about it. I doubt Kendra's ever apologized for making out with a guy."

"That was definitely a historic conversation."

"Ooh!"

Casey looked where Emily was pointing.

"Do you think they have those shoes in my size?"

"Let's go see."

--

Derek walked into the kitchen.

"One in the afternoon. This is a record for you."

"Shut up, Edwin." Derek sank into a chair and yawned. "Where's Casey?"

"Shopping with Emily."

"When will they be back?" _I can't decide whether I should tell her as soon as possible or put it off as long as possible._

"I'm guessing extremely late. Why? What are you planning to do to her?"

"Nothing!" _Why can't I just hate her like I used to?_ He jumped up and ran upstairs.

Lizzie moved out of his way as he walked past her. "What's his problem?"

Edwin smiled. "He's in denial."

"About what?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? He was asking about Casey, though."

"You should make a note of that."

"I will."

--

When Casey got home, it was already eight o'clock. She opened the door and saw Derek sitting in his chair.

_Shocker._

"Hey! How was it?" Lizzie asked.

"Fun. Kendra called me."

"About Max?"

"Yeah. She said–"

"Max is cheating on you!" Derek shouted.

Casey gave him a weirded-out look. "No. She said–"

"No!" He walked over and gripped her shoulders. "Case, Max is cheating on you!"

"I know. That's why I dumped him."

His arms dropped to his sides. "You did?"

--

The next day, as she was reading a romance novel, Casey's phone rang.

_I've been getting quite a few calls lately._

"Hello?"

"Hey, Casey!"

"Hey, Noel."

"So… I heard you broke up with Max."

Casey sighed. "You heard correct."

"Oh… Are you upset?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if maybe you'd like to go out with me. Not anytime soon, of course. In the near future. I mean… er…"

"Thank you, Noel! But now's not really the best time…"

"I totally understand. I guess I'll see you around. Bye, Casey."

"Bye, Noel."

She was about to pick up her book again when the door opened.

"Der-_ek_! Can't you knock?"

He smirked and sat in her chair. "I'm trying to find this girl–"

"Any special brand? Let me guess: blonde, brainless, and in a skirt."

"Wrong."

_Wrong? Not blonde, not stupid, and not in a skirt? Something's off._

"She's brunette, she has blue eyes, she's smart, she's funny, she's a junior, she's a really great kisser–"

"I know exactly who you're talking about!"

Derek nearly jumped out of the chair in excitement. "You do?"

"Absolutely! The good kisser is what gave her away."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes," she replied sarcastically. "I make out with the junior girls all the time."

His eyes narrowed and he stood up. "I should have known you wouldn't help."

"Yes, you should have." She opened her book as he left the room.

--

"So what did you overhear?"

"A little bit about Mystery Girl."

"Did you catch her name?"

"No, but I'm willing to bet it's Caroline."

"What did he say about her?"

"About Mystery Girl or Caroline?"

"Mystery Girl."

"She's a brunette, she's smart, she has blue eyes, she's funny–"

"Meaning she's not blonde, she's not a complete idiot, she has a personality… For some reason, this doesn't sound like Derek."

"He said she's a good kisser."

"Never mind. That's Derek."

"He also said she's a junior."

"Well that narrows it down a bit."

"Yeah. Do you have the yearbook?"

"And the directory."

"Why?"

"What if she wasn't here last year?"

"Good point."

Lizzie opened the yearbook to the sophomores. "Good thing these pictures are in colour. OK, put a dot by every name I call out. Beginning with the blondes: Kara Abbot, Millie Aster, Lily Binnings…"

Edwin put dots by the names she called out, half-listening to what she was saying, half-listening to her voice.

"These are the girls I haven't called out who don't have blue eyes."

"How do you know which ones you haven't called out?"

Lizzie held up a pencil. "I've been marking them. OK, Lindsay Ace, Morgan Adcock, Laura Ammerman, Hallie Aster–"

"There are two Aster girls?"

"Maybe they're twins. Kelly Ballin, Hannah Bells…"

After Lizzie was finished, only a handful of girls remained in the directory.

"Now what?"

"Mark off the girls he's dated."

"What good will that do? This could easily be a girl he's dated."

"She had a personality. And intelligence."

"True." Edwin crossed out even more names. "Alright, the only two that are left are–"

"Are who? Who are they?" Lizzie asked eagerly.

Edwin rubbed his eyes and looked at the directory pages. "That can't be right," he muttered.

"What? What can't be right?"

"This."

Edwin pointed to he pages and Lizzie looked at them closely, her eyes widening as she saw what he was pointing out.

--

**Again, ten reviews.**


	8. What?

**Disclaimer: Last night, I had a dream. I found a genie that would grant me three wishes. First, I wished for a lifetime supply of granadillas. Next, I wished for a little puppy. Then, I wished for the rights to **_**Life with Derek**_**. The puppy ate all of the granadillas and then, before I could stop him, devoured the rights to the show. I woke up crying.**

**Oh, the suspense. I'll be merciful.**

_**Chapter 8:**_

"See?"

Lizzie nodded. "I do see. Did you check the list twice?"

"I'm Edwin Venturi, not Santa Claus. The only girls left are Casey and Caroline Thomas."

Lizzie picked up the directory and looked at the only remaining names."At least we can cross Casey off."

"No we can't. She's a huge possibility."

"How so?"

"It was a _masked_ dance."

"Good point."

"I'll ask him about the girl later."

"Don't let him figure you out."

--

Derek sat on his bed and thought about calling Sam. _Or maybe Edwin knows where the directory is._

Right on cue, Edwin walked into Derek's room.

"Derek, do you know a girl named Caroline Thomas?"

_Caroline…_ "Unfortunately. Why?"

"Uh, her sister is in my science class."

"Too bad. She was at that dance. I spent the whole night trying to avoid her. Don't ask why. I don't even know why I did that… Edwin?" He looked up to find that his younger brother was gone. _Ed-weirdo returns._

--

"Casey!"

"What?"

"It's Casey! Casey is the girl!"

"There's no way… But that's so…"

"Awkward?" Edwin asked.

Lizzie shook her head. "Wouldn't that be illegal?"

"They aren't related. And Dad hasn't adopted either of you yet, and Nora hasn't adopted any of us yet."

"That's true."

"It's totally legal! And it would only be awkward if they broke up."

"You're acting like they're already together…"

They gasped and looked at each other. Simultaneously, they breathed, "Together…"

"New Year's Day!" Lizzie cried.

"Valentines Day!" Edwin replied.

"Closer person wins?"

"And loser does chores for a week."

"Two weeks."

"No interfering allowed."

"Done."

They shook hands.

--

For the rest of the week, Derek looked through the halls at school for a girl named Ashley. He wondered if she were looking for a guy named Michael.

_Why did I say that? I really wish I had said, "My name is Derek Venturi. Call me later so that we can get together sometime." My life would be so much better if I had._

He had no idea that Casey was asking herself virtually the same question.

--

"He is so weird!"

"I know! I'm amazed he hasn't gotten fired yet!"

Casey smiled. "It's only a matter of time before some kid says something."

Emily laughed. "Someone has! Many people have! He was supposed to have a meeting, but he avoided it."

"Another knee surgery?"

"No, it was _shoulder_ surgery."

"That's why he's using a cane!"

"Well, you can't walk if you have a hurt shoulder."

They laughed again as Casey looked at the clock. "Oh, wow. I have to go. Can you get the check, Em?"

"Sure. This'll make a dent in that seventy-five I owe you."

Casey left the restaurant and drove home. _I love Fridays. I've got a whole weekend to spend with… Him. Never mind. I hate Fridays._

She turned off the car and walked to the back door.

--

Derek barged into Casey's room.

"Hey, Case, I need the–"

He looked around. _Case?_

On the desk, he saw something very intriguing. _A diary._ He walked over and picked it up, opening it to the middle.

_October 7, 2007_

_Emily is officially…_

The downstairs door opened and Casey's voice was heard in the kitchen.

Derek rushed to return the diary to its proper place. In doing so, he knocked of a stack of papers on the edge of the desk. He scrambled to gather and stack them. As soon as this was done, he noticed something on the floor, something he must have knocked off with the papers. It was a something he had never expected to see in Casey McDonald's room.

He stared at the something in horror, and when he heard his step-sister coming up the stairs, he grabbed the something and ran into his room.

--

Casey walked into her room. Something was out of place. She knew it. Her diary was in place, the papers were in place… Wait. No they weren't! when she left, her _Les_ _Miserables_ report had been on top. Now her article for the arts section of the school paper was on top.

"Derek," she groweled.

--

Derek stared at the object in his hands. This was the last thing he had expected to find in her room. Somehow, Casey seemed more likely to have a stash of condoms in her room than this single object.

_I wonder if she does… Stop it, Derek. Focus. Why this? This defies all logic! Whoa. Defies all logic? I've been living with that girl way too long._

The silvery mask seemed to be staring at him, punishing him for his past actions.

"Der-_ek_!" Casey shrieked as she stormed into his room. "What were you doing in m room?"

"I was going to ask you for something, but I forgot what," he whispered.

Casey rolled her eyes. "How could you forget?"

"I got distracted. By _this_." He stood up and showed her the mask. "Casey, what is the meaning of this?"

"Gosh, Dad. Lizzie and Edwin promised to be good kids while I went to the dance for an hour."

"No, I mean what is the meaning of _this_." He walked over to his dresser and pulled on the handle of one of the drawers. He pulled again. Nothing. He put a foot against the dresser and shook the drawer, hoping to get un-stuck.

"You seriously think I had something to do with the fact that your drawer is jammed?"

"NO!" He pulled harder. "Just don't say anything until I get the drawer–"

Suddenly, the whole drawer came out and fell to the ground.

"Open." He bent down and rummaged around until he found what he was looking for. "What is the meaning of this?" He held his own mask next to hers so she could see them.

Her eyes darted from one mask to the other. "It can't be…" she breathed.

"And it wasn't for an hour. I seem to remember the fact that you got there at eleven and left at one."

"I can't believe this…"

"Believe it, McDonald. You made out with _me_, your _step-brother_."

She glared at him. "That may be true, Venturi, but you're forgetting one minor detail: _you_ made out with _me_."

Suddenly, the full effect of what they had done hit them and they stared at each other in horror for five full minutes.

Casey backed out of the room, shaking her head. As soon as she was out, Derek ran to the door and grabbed the doorknob.

Their doors slammed shut at the same time.

--

**Yay! They finally know! Let the awkwardness begin!**

**Lizzie and Edwin **_**are**_** betting on Casey and Derek. This is not at all like the Max and Kendra thing. I'm still going to do a ton of unexpected stuff, but nothing like that.**

**TEN!!!**


	9. A Little Weird

**Disclaimer: If I owned the show, I wouldn't need a disclaimer, would I?**

**I'm sitting here thinking about something my roommate just said and I have to wonder: What was the greatest thing **_**before**_** sliced bread? I'll probably never know.**

**And the shoulder thing was my making fun of two of our teachers rolled into one. One is always on a cane and has avoided all sorts of meetings that are held due to the fact that students are always reporting her, and the other will use anything, even a headache, as an excuse to miss school.**

**Christmas is almost here! I'm so excited! I love this holiday the most! Not because of the presents, mind you. Because I can sing all day and no one can make me stop!**

_**Chapter 9:**_

Casey stared at the chicken and rice on her plate. She didn't dare look across the table.

"Casey," Nora said, "you haven't even touched your food. Are you alright?"

"I'm not that hungry. I'm actually really tired. Can I go to bed?"

"Sure, Sweetie."

Casey stood up and started climbing the stairs. She waited at the top to listen to the conversation below.

"Derek, you haven't eaten anything either," George observed. "Are you sick?"

"No, Dad, I'm fine."

"Nora, get the thermometer. I think he might be running a fever."

"Dad, I'm fine! I'm just not hungry!"

A long silence followed.

"I've got the thermometer," Nora announced.

"Nora, no. I'm perfectly hmf…" His sounds became muffled as the thermometer was stuck between his lips.

Casey stifled a laugh as she thought about the thermometer being forced into his mouth. His _mouth_.

Memories came flooding back to her and suddenly _she_ felt sick. She quietly climbed the rest of the way and headed to the bathroom.

--

Derek climbed the stairs. After twenty minutes of taking his temperature, asking him questions, and feeling his forehead, Nora and George had come to the conclusion that he was _not_ sick was simply not hungry.

He made his way to his room, narrowly missing Casey as she came out of the bathroom.

He grabbed her arm and said, "Hey, bulimic child, losing some weight won't make Max want you back."

"I'm not bulimic, Jerk. I dumped him and wouldn't take him back even if he wanted me."

"So it's for another guy. Why don't you just act so prettily like you did for me?"

Casey jerked away from him. "I don't know what _you_ were doing, but I wasn't acting. I never pretended to be something I wasn't."

She stalked into her room and slammed the door.

"Sure you didn't," Derek muttered as he entered his own room. "You weren't acting at all."

He shut the door and sat on his bed, staring at the two masks where they sat on his dresser.

_Was she?_

--

Edwin walked into Derek's room.

"So… You and Casey haven't been acting like yourselves. Care to explain?"

"Go away, Edwin," Derek called from the computer.

"Fine. Just, you know, wondering out of brotherly love."

"At the dance I met this amazing girl."

Edwin turned back around and shut the door. "Really? Do tell."

"And then I found this in Casey's room." Derek handed Edwin the silvery mask.

"So Casey had a mask in her room. Big deal."

"Edwin, this is the mask that the girl was wearing."

"So Casey was the girl?" Edwin asked incredulously.

"Yes, she was."

"Awkward…" _This is GREAT!_

"Really awkward."

"Well, Bro, I was just wondering…"

"Leave."

"Will do."

--

"If they're already feeling awkward, I think I might win. A relationship wouldn't be that awkward once they got into it, only at the beginning."

"Who says they're even out of the hating stage? And a relationship _would_ be awkward."

Lizzie sank to the floor of the game's closet. _A stepsibling relationship wouldn't be that awkward… Of course, that might be because I don't _want_ it to be awkward. What am I thinking? I want it to be awkward. Not for Casey and Derek, though. Why am I even thinking about a stepsibling relationship for anyone besides those two? Stop it, Lizzie. Stop thinking._

Edwin crouched down beside her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!"

He fell backwards in surprise, making her laugh a little.

"What did Casey say?"

Lizzie shrugged. "Basically the same thing. Derek apparently accused her of acting, and she claims she wasn't."

"I'll write that down." Edwin scratched a few words into the notebook and looked up. "Do you know what this proves?"

Lizzie nodded. "In an alternate universe, one where they weren't so bent on hating each other, they might have actually liked each other."

"In a romantic way."

"If they were not stepsiblings."

"That doesn't stop anything."

Lizzie looked up in astonishment. "It doesn't?"

"No. We already agreed that it's not illegal. Besides, Victor Frankenstein and Elizabeth were stepsiblings."

"No, they weren't. Elizabeth was adopted."

"Heathcliff and Cathy."

"Heathcliff was adopted."

"Stop proving me wrong."

"Wait. Since when do you read things like _Frankenstein_ and _Wuthering Heights_?"

"I don't. I was getting the spark notes for Derek and read a little bit."

"When was this?"

"A day before the test over both of them."

"Typical."

"Coming back to the topic, it wouldn't be that awkward."

"Thank goodness. If it were, they would take too long, and I might not win."

"Who says you'll win?"

"_I_ say I'll win."

--

Casey closed her locker. Conversation buzzed around her.

"There he is!"

"He's so cute…"

"…he'd take me out?"

"He'd sooner take out a rat."

Casey turned around to see whom all the girls were talking about.

_Derek. Why do they obsess over _him_? He can't be _that_ cute, can he? I guess he is… Stop it, Casey. This is _Derek

She shouldered her bag and went to class.

--

Derek had walked by Casey's locker without looking at her. He had managed to avoid making eye contact since his conversation outside their bedrooms the day before. He had barely looked at her at all.

"Dude, your stepsister is hot," Ralph commented.

Derek looked after Casey in the direction she had gone. _Is she really? I guess she is… Stop it, Derek. Stop thinking._

"Don't talk about her like that," Sam warned. "She's not an object. She's a person."

_Stop thinking!_

"Sounds like you still like her, Sam," Ralph teased.

_STOP THINKING!_

Sam shrugged. "She's a really good friend of mine. I just don't like to hear things like that said about her. That's all."

_STOP IT! STOP THINKING!_

"Dude, Derek's totally out of it."

"Derek?" Sam whacked him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Derek rubbed his head.

"What were you staring at?"

"Oh, you know…"

"Not really."

"Hot blonde."

"Where?" Ralph looked around. "Mind if I have a shot first?"

"She just went into Mrs. Baker's room. Go for it."

Ralph ran away.

Sam looked at Derek. "Seriously, what were you staring at?"

"I have no idea."

--

**CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!**

**TEN REVIEWS!!!!!**


	10. Overthinking Things

**Disclaimer: You want me to state that I don't own the show? Casey and Derek aren't together, Sheldon's leaving, and Kendra's disappeared to Never-Never Land. How much more proof do you need?**

**The awkward tension is about to dissolve. Why? It's because awkward tension is too hard to write about without getting boring (unless you're in a magical world full of dragons, faeries, and unicorns, which we're NOT).**

**Ten!!!**

_**Chapter 10:**_

"George, something's not right."

"Nora, they're not fighting. You should enjoy the peace and quiet."

"I know, but it just feels weird."

"Look, maybe they're just stressed about school or sports or something."

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I really do."

"Alright. But I still worry about…"

The conversation continued, nut at a lower volume.

Edwin pulled away from the door while Lizzie kept her ear pressed against it, straining to hear.

"Nora seems a little freaked."

"And George seems just fine." Lizzie pulled back and sighed. "What else is new?"

Edwin shrugged. "I know my dad, though, and if they don't get back to normal soon, he'll start to worry, too."

"My mom will probably speed that up."

"So… We talk to Casey and Derek?"

Lizzie nodded. "We talk to Casey and Derek."

--

Casey's door flew open. Without even looking up from her book, she asked, "Ever heard of knocking, Derek?"

"You might have mentioned it once or twice."

"It's a novel concept, really. Your hand creates energy waves that travel through the would, cross into the medium of the air–"

"Yeah, I don't speak Dork," he interrupted. "I don't plan on ever learning how."

"Was there a reason you came in so uncouthly?"

"Well, I don't know what 'uncouthly' means–"

"Rudely."

He ignored the explanation. "But I did have a reason for coming in." He walked over to her and snatched the book out of her hands.

"Der-_ek_!" She reached for the book, but he closed it and put it on her bedside table. "Now I don't know where my spot was!"

"Your problem, not mine. Anyway, the reason I'm here is because of something Edwin told me."

"About how my mom suspects something so we had better start acting normal or else George will catch on. Yeah, Lizzie told me."

"Well, I'm glad we're on the same page." He started to leave.

"Wait! What are we going to do?"

Derek smirked. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

When he left, Casey reached for her book and noticed that he had taken it.

--

"Der-_ek_!"

Derek closed his door and laughed.

_I'd almost forgotten how fun that was. And she _did_ look cute when she got mad. No, she didn't. Stop it, Derek. You're thinking about Casey. Smart, beautiful, sweet– ARGH! I'm going to _kill_ Ralph._

He picked up his guitar and began to play around with the chords. The familiar squeak that his fingers made as they moved from fret to fret made him forget everything around him. He forgot that he had left Casey's book right outside her door. He forgot every thought he had been thinking about Casey. He forgot that he had a history report due the next day. He forgot that he hadn't even started on it. For a few minutes, he forgot everything and focused wholly on music.

_Dsus, Em7, Bm, Asus…_

He grabbed a pen and started writing.

--

"See, Nora. There was nothing to worry about."

Lizzie didn't hear George's response as she turned to look at Edwin. "That was fast."

"I really hope we haven't destroyed any chance of their getting together."

"I don't think so. They're never really going to forget that they made out with each other."

"How will that help?"

"That will always leave a trace of awkwardness, which will make their minds work weirdly. The awkwardness won't stop until they get together."

Edwin blinked. "You've been reading the psychology books again, haven't you?"

"Research is necessary."

"What do you think this is?" he asked, holding up the notebook.

"That's more like data."

"This is research!"

"It's data!"

"Whatever it is, it's all we need."

"What happened to common sense?"

Edwin grabbed the remote and changed the channel.

"Ed-_win_, I was watching that!"

"Sorry, Liz."

--

"Lizzie and Edwin are starting to argue a lot. It's like they're turning into _us_."

"What about Marti?" Emily took a sip of her milkshake. "She must be feeling a little left out."

"I don't know what goes on in her head." Casey sighed. "I worry about her. I think the divorce was hardest on her. She was only three when it happened."

They were silent for a moment.

"So, Sheldon's gone back to Newfoundland?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. It was so sweet of him to come in town for the dance, don't you think?"

"It really was. I'll admit that I haven't been the strongest supporter of the–"

"Your check, ladies. Is there anything I can get you? Free re-fill on water? Mints?"

"Yeah, you could loan me a ten. I don't have enough," Casey replied.

Derek leaned on the table. "Sorry, Case, but that's one thing I _can't_ do." He walked away as a blonde waitress approached them.

"Here, Casey. You can pay me back next time."

"Thanks, Sally." Casey added the ten to the $4.43 she already had out.

"No tip for Derek?" Sally joked.

Emily and Casey laughed as they left.

"She's nice," Emily commented.

"And totally out of his league."

"Do you remember what you told me about Lizzie and Edwin? What if they've been influenced by the two of you?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"That you two try being nice to each other."

"It's not as easy as it sounds."

"Have you tried it?"

"Yes! _He_ hasn't, and _he_ won't. He does things just to make me mad and–"

"And you don't?"

"Emily!"

"Casey, you push each other. For your siblings' sakes, you should try to get along."

"Since when did you become a psychology major?"

"Just talk to him!"

"Fine!"

--

For the rest of the week, Derek tried not to think about Casey. He tried not to think about the caring expression she had on her face when she talked to him about Lizzie and Edwin. He tried not to think about how sweet she was to Marti. He tried not to care about what his teammates said about her.

_Derek, she's your _stepsister_, for crying out loud! Stop thinking about her! You don't like her… Why am I even thinking that? Think about Sally… Hmm… Sally's like Casey in some ways– No! No she's not! ARGH!!!_

And so it continued, until Friday the 14th.

--

**OK, I've got the next two chapters totally typed so don't hesitate to review!**

**Ten!**


	11. Love and Hate

**Disclaimer: I don't own this show. I don't own these characters. Pigs don't fly. Some things just **_**don't**_** happen.**

**I need to learn to be patient.**

**Do y'all remember when I said I might have to bump the rating? Well, I'm not going to. Yet. I'm going to post this and let y'all tell me whether or not I should bump it. It's a borderline deal… Because of that, I'm taking an odd number of reviews. Nine. Y'all can do it! Yes, I am from Texas.**

**I should probably mention that I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be back until January 2.**

_**Chapter 11:**_

Derek couldn't deny how he felt about Casey. He had tried. He had tried so hard to ignore those feelings, but every time he told himself he didn't like her, he knew he was lying.

On Friday the 14th, he had finally stopped trying. After accepting what was happening, he started to try a new tactic. He had used it before, whenever he started to like a girl who would jeopardize his reputation. He would simply convince himself that he was only physically attracted to her and then wait for her to do something that irritated him. He would be turned off, he wouldn't feel anything at all toward the girl anymore, and his rep would be safe. **(A/N: This has **_**rarely **_**been proven affective. Don't try it at home. Seriously, don't.)**

Derek knew this process would work with Casey. Everything she did irked him.

Five days passed, and he still wanted her. It wasn't that she hadn't done anything that annoyed him. There had been plenty of those moments. The problem was that he didn't mind them. At this point, he tried to ignore his thoughts completely, hoping that the feelings would pass with time.

--

Two more days passed. Casey had nearly driven him to the point of insanity, not that she meant to, and was about to make him go completely mad. The reason was that they would be spending four whole days together.

George and Nora left with the younger kids on Friday to go to some theme park in British Columbia for fall break. Casey couldn't go because of some project in some class, and Derek couldn't go because his coach wanted the team to do some more conditioning before elimination rounds started. So Casey and Derek were alone in the house from Saturday morning until Tuesday night.

On Saturday, he got a text from Sam.

_Coach broke his leg his wrist & his clavicle. He is n the hospital 4 2 weeks so practice is cancelled._

_Clavicle? _Derek thought._ So he broke an instrument in the Italian grand orchestra. Why would that land him in the hospital for two weeks?_

He sat at the computer and tried to upload a video of his band onto YouTube. After a few frustrating minutes, he gave up.

"Casey! I need you!"

She walked in. "What?"

"I need you to help me upload this file on YouTube."

She stared at him incredulously. "You can't upload a file on YouTube? Loser." She walked over to his computer and gabbed the mouse.

"I'm the loser? Who's the kid who decided that our school needed prefects?"

"I'm working."

He looked at her as she bent over. Unconsciously, he put an arm around her waist. Casey jerked away.

"What is your problem?" she hissed.

"My problem?" He held her wrists behind her back and pushed her against the wall. "You should know what my problem is." _Is she really that oblivious?_

"So, I've caused a problem for you, have I?"

_Yes, she really is. _"You haven't caused a problem, Casey. You _are_ one." _Oy! That came out wrong._

"And how am I a problem?"

Instead of answering, he gripped her wrists tighter and roughly pressed his lips against her own. When she tried to move away, his other hand moved to hold her neck and jaw, not so firmly that he hurt her, but just enough to keep her still. She wasn't returning the kiss, and she was still struggling, but at that moment, he didn't care.

After a minute or two, the passion inside of him had built up so high that he lost all control. Still keeping her pressed against him, he dragged her over to the bed and pushed her onto it. Casey apparently knew what was coming and fought even harder, but Derek over powered her. The hand holding her jaw moved down her neck and over her torso to the buttons at the bottom of her shirt. As he undid the first two, his mouth moved to the spot on her neck just below her ear.

"Derek!" Casey cried. "Stop!"

His hand continued to work at her blouse as his knees began to force her legs apart. He completely opened her shirt and his mouth moved to her collarbone. The hand not holding her wrists began to caress her stomach as she shook.

"Derek," Casey choked out between sobs. "Please, sto–"

Derek seized the opportunity of her mouth being open and met it with his own. His tongue began to explore her mouth, the bulge in his pants growing larger by the second. Casey must have felt it, for her attempts to move away became more desparate. She freed her wrists and brought them around to claw at his chest as she bit down on his tongue, drawing blood. The hand that had been holding her wrists pulled her hair and she gasped in pain. He continued to explore her mouth.

Suddenly, Casey stopped resisting.

_Finally,_ Derek thought. The hand on her stomach moved up and began to search for the snap on her bra. Slowly, he realized that she wasn't pushing or pulling. She wasn't doing anything.

He sat back and saw that her eyes were closed, her face was pale, and she was breathing very lightly.

_Damn._ After re-buttoning her shirt and laying her in a more comfortable position on his bed, Derek ran downstairs to get a glass of water for his unconscious stepsister. When he returned, she was beginning to stir.

"Casey?" he asked.

She moaned softly and sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead. "What happened?" She swung her legs around and sat on the edge of the bed.

Derek handed her the glass. "You passed out. I–" He cut his sentence short. It suddenly occurred to him that he had been about to _rape_ her. "Oh, God." He fell to his knees and grabbed her hand – the one _not_ holding the glass. It wasn't often that Derek Venturi cried, but he did now. "I'm so sorry, Casey." He held her hand in both of his own. "I'm so sorry." He kissed her palm.

The events of a few minutes earlier must have registered in Casey's head, for she jerked her hand away and slapped him. Derek drew back in shock and looked up at her. She then threw the cold water in his face and stood up. On her face was an expression Derek had never seen before. His head was spinning and he felt a horrible pain that he could not pin down as he realized what was coming.

"I hate you, Derek Venturi," she seethed venomously as she threw the glass at him. "I really, really hate you." She turned on her heel and half-ran back to her room. Only three seconds later, Derek heard her door slam shut and the lock click.

It was then that Derek accepted the inevitable truth: He was head-over-heals in love with Casey McDonald, and Casey McDonald hated his guts.

--

**I know I'm evil. But review quickly and you might see everything work out before New Year's! I need thirteen.**

**It's perfectly fine to hate anybody and everybody at this point. But don't hate me! Trust me, I know what I'm doing.**


	12. Anger Management

**Disclaimer: **_**Life with Derek**_** is not mine. I sometimes dream that it is, but my roommates wake me up.**

**I know I'm evil. As soon as this chapter is up, I know that my chances of being hunted down and shot at are extremely large. I also know what happens next so…**

**Ten Reviews!!!**

_**Chapter 12:**_

For the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday, Casey stayed in her room. She came out for meals and she left to go to the bathroom, but other than those few times, Derek never saw her.

Whenever she was out of her room, he would try to talk to her, but she would always move away quickly. Every time she ignored him, glared at him, or moved away from him, Derek felt his heart tear a little more as he thought, _So much for not having a heart._ She hadn't broken it, mind you. She had ripped it to shreds. With just a few words, she had completely destroyed him.

Derek knew he was to blame. If he had just put her first, if he had just told her in a way that wouldn't have hurt her, then he wouldn't have been in that situation.

"I messed up, Sam. I messed up really bad."

"D, I don't get it. Two weeks ago you couldn't stand the girl, and now you're acting like some love-struck character from Shakespeare."

Derek sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Is that the guy who wrote _The_ _Phantom_ _of_ _the_ _Opera_?"

"… Sure."

"Sam, it doesn't matter how or when I started liking her. The point is that she hates me. She really, _really_ hates me."

"She said that?"

"She said that."

"In those exact words?"

"In those exact words."

Sam was silent for a moment. "She didn't mean it."

"She meant it, Sam. If you had seen her face then you would know that she meant every word."

"You're screwed."

"Thanks, Sam."

"My mom's coming up. I have to go. Bye."

Derek hit the end button and pulled the phone away from his ear. "Thanks for your help," he muttered sardonically.

He was about to turn the phone off when he got a text from Kendra.

_Hey! I'm going w/ some ppl 2 c a movie. Want 2 come?_

Derek paused before responding. More than anything he needed a distraction. Besides, the least he could do was give Casey some time alone in the house. He hit reply.

_OK! What movie?_

--

Casey had spent all of Sunday trying to read a book. _Eclipse_ was absolutely amazing, but she couldn't concentrate. Every sound from the next room sent her heart racing with fear and loathing.

Around five, she heard the front door open.

"Casey, I'm leaving!"

She could hardly believe it. Just to be sure, she ran to the window to see his car pulling out of the driveway.

_What should I do?_ Emily was out of town. Sam was probably the person Derek was going to meet. Who was available? Suddenly, she remembered one person who would probably be free. He had asked her put the day after she had dumped Max.

Casey dialed his number and waited.

When the other end picked up, a male voice asked, "Casey?"

"Hey, Noel. I was wondering if you wanted to go have dinner with me tonight!"

--

"Later, guys. I'm going to head home."

"Wait." Kendra grabbed Derek's arm. "Don't you want to come get some ice-cream with us?"

Derek ran a hand through his hair. He really did want to stay away from the house. He didn't want to get home and find out that Casey had called the cops.

_Casey…_ He had some things he needed to apologize to her for.

"I'd like to, but Casey's at home."

"Is she still mad at me?"

"I don't think she was mad at you in the first place."

"Good. OK, you get home then. Night."

"Night."

Derek got in the car and stated the ignition.

--

Casey let out a laugh. No, really. How do you do it? I'm the biggest klutz in the world – ask anybody – and I can't even slip on dry concrete while wearing rubber-soled shoes!"

Noel smiled. "It's a gift."

At that moment, Casey slipped on the sidewalk, sending them both into fits of laughter. She unlocked the front door and was about to open it when she turned around.

"I had a really great time with you, Noel."

"Yeah, so did I. Not with me. With you. I had a really great time with you, too."

They laughed again.

Noel swallowed and looked around nervously before finally meeting her eyes. He leaned in and so did she. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, which quickly became more passionate.

Casey opened the front door and pulled Noel inside, their lips still working. She wound her arms around his neck and started to pull him toward the couch but she tripped over something. Casey pulled away and looked down at the black, leather jacket.

_This is perfect. This is absolutely perfect._ She whirled around to see Derek sitting in his chair and glaring at Noel. If looks could kill, Noel would have died a slow, painful death.

"Hello, Noel," Derek all but spat.

"Uh… hi, Derek."

"Derek, do you mind?" Casey shot at him.

"Yes, I do, Princess. Thank you for asking. I certainly _do_ mind." He stood up, keeping his eyes on Noel.

Noel looked at Derek uncomfortably before turning to Casey and whispering, "I'll call you later."

"Alright."

He kissed her on the cheek and left. As soon as the door was closed, Casey rounded on Derek.

"Couldn't you have been a little nicer?"

--

"Couldn't you have been a little nicer?"

He was glad that she was talking to him again, but the fact that she was defending Noel infuriated him. "No."

"He's a great guy. He's nice, funny, smart–"

"Good for him."

"And everything else you're not!"

That comment went straight home. "I don't want you dating him anymore."

"What?"

"I don't want you dating him anymore."

She took a step toward him. "Do you honestly think you can tell me who I can and can't date?"

He took a step toward her. "Yes, I honestly do."

"So tell me, 'O Wise One,' why can't I date Noel?"

"I don't like him."

"You don't like him."

"No, I don't."

"You hardly know him! How do you know you don't like him?"

"I just know, OK?"

"That makes no sense!"

"It makes perfect sense!"

"I can date whomever I want!"

"You're never going out with him again, and that's final!"

"Oh, I'm not, am I?"

He suddenly realized how close they were standing. His face softened as he reached out and gently touched her arm. "Casey…"

"Don't touch me." She pulled back. "God, Derek. Sometimes you are such a jerk." Casey turned and stormed up the stairs, leaving Derek stunned and frozen in place.

"Sometimes," she had said. Not always, not never, but sometimes. Did that mean that he switched between being a jerk and being unbearable? Or between being a jerk and being likeable?

Derek made his way over to his chair and sat down. He knew one thing for sure: He had acted like a complete jerk. As soon as Casey and Noel had stumbled through the door, nothing short of rage, jealous, and hurt had consumed him. And the fact that Casey had blushed and smiled when Noel had kissed her didn't help much. He had seriously overreacted and had just messed up his relationship with Casey even more, if that was even possible.

He knew he had to apologize in person. Face to face. Anyway, the lock on her door had been broken for the past three months.

Derek rose and climbed the stairs. _What is wrong with me? I never used to apologize! That girl is destroying me!_

--

**Don't hurt me! I know what I'm doing. I have ever since I started this story.**

**Ten!!!**


	13. Murder! Murder! Bloody Murder!

**Disclaimer: I own a computer, a desk, a piano, and an iPod, but nothing **_**important**_**. Nothing like **_**Life**__**with**__**Derek**_

**I know the last two chapters haven't been that funny, but hopefully you'll find this one a tiny bit more light-hearted.**

**Ten reviews, please!**

_**Chapter 13:**_

Casey sat on her bed and thought about her night. Noel had insisted on paying for the dinner, and after three rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Casey had relented. After that, they had gone to the park near her house and had just talked like good friends do.

She had never wanted to kiss him. She didn't know why she did. She did know that she felt nothing for him except friendship.

She felt terrible about leading him on. When he had kissed her cheek, she had smiled, thinking how lucky she was to have a friend like him, and she had blushed, feeling rather embarrassed about making him believe she liked him.

And then there was _Derek_. Why couldn't he just leave her alone?

Her door flew open. Half of her thought, _Speak of the devil, literally,_ while the other half thought, _How did he get in here?_

"Der-_ek_!" she shouted.

He gave her a sarcastic smile. "Good to know you're back to normal."

"How did you get in?"

"And you're supposed to be the smart one? I simply opened the door."

"Which was locked!"

"The lock has been broken for three months."

She blinked. "And you knew? So you could have come in here at any time?"

"Do you trust me now?"

Casey snorted. "Not exactly."

"Look, Case. I'm really sorry. For everything. Two days ago–"

She sighed loudly. "What do you want?"

"Huh?"

"You're apologizing. You clearly want something."

"We've been living together too long," he observed.

"_Way_ too long."

Derek looked up at her. "I just want you to trust me again."

"Who said I ever trusted you in the first place?"

"Do you just enjoy frustrating people? You're pretty good at it."

"I learned from the best." She looked at him pointedly.

Derek sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "_Fine_. I want you to trust me. The end."

Casey thought about that. _Do I? I sort of do… I sort of don't… Maybe he only wants a little… Stop. You know you can only trust a person completely or not at all… Do I? Yes, I do. No, I don't. Yes. No. ARGH!_

Hardly thinking about what she was saying, Casey answered, "I do trust you, Derek."

"Really? A few seconds ago you said–"

"A girl can change her mind, can't she?"

"You obviously can," he muttered.

She crossed her eyes and wrinkled her nose at him. He made a face back at her. They continued like that, making faces at each other, until they were both laughing rather hard.

All of the sudden, Casey felt Derek's arms around her.

"Derek? What are you doing?"

"Feel good family moment. Just go with it."

She did.

--

**Tuesday night…**

Casey handed Derek the tomato knife. "I'm just going to go ask Mrs. Davis for some salt. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Like cutting off my thumbs?"

"Yeaah." Casey winced. "That would be pretty stupid. I'll only be gone for two minutes. Fifteen tops."

"Fifteen?"

Casey shrugged. "Emily's back. Any questions before I go?"

"Just one. Why do we need tomatoes when we already have tomato sauce?"

Casey picked up the recipe and scanned it. "I have no idea. Maybe someone–"

"Some guy in Italy did something with food and had fun. It was great. I think you should go get the salt before you start giving me a history lesson." He grabbed her shoulders and ushered her towards the door.

"If you need anything–"

"I know. Call you. You'd think you were leaving for ten months and not ten minutes."

"One would think, not–"

"Bye, Casey!" He shut the door and went back to the kitchen.

He carefully began to chop a tomato, letting his mind wander between hockey and Casey. He migrated over to the sink, passing a large pot of tomato juice that was sitting on the stove. Suddenly, the phone rang, causing him to drop the knife in the pot.

Derek picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Derek? Hey, man."

"Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Oh, we're just pulling into the driveway. How are you two?"

"We're fine," Derek replied, frantically trying to fish the knife out of the pot.

"OK, I'm going to let you go. We just wanted to let you know we're home so you can stop doing whatever stupid thing you're doing."

"Alright. Bye, Dad." He hung the phone up just as the front door was opening.

"What's that smell?" Edwin wondered.

The whole family moved into the kitchen where Derek stood, frozen and holding a knife dripping in tomato sauce.

"Lizzie saw the red liquid on the blade and automatically assumed the worst. "Oh, my God. _YOU_ _KILLED_ _CASEY_!"

Derek looked up at his stepmother and shrugged. "Sorry, Nora."

Lizzie backed up and held out her hand to Edwin. "You owe me fifty bucks."

Edwin muttered something about not having the correct bill on him and asked Derek, "Did you stash the body in a safe place?"

"Edwin!" George scolded as he hefted Marti in his arms.

"What's going on?" Casey called from the front room.

"I think I'm about to be arrested," Derek replied.

"For what?"

"Murder." He held up the knife.

"Did you kill that Caroline girl?" she asked casually. After the moment in Casey's room, Caroline had done an incredible job of bugging Derek to high heaven. Phone calls, text messages… Casey had quickly learned everything about Caroline.

"It's a good idea, but I actually killed you."

Casey sank to the floor, laughing hysterically.

"See, Lizzie? She's alive! So they only fought! You owe _me_ fifty bucks!"

"Nobody got hurt?" Nora asked.

"Mom, we didn't even fight," Casey laughed.

_Wow. I would have believed that if I didn't know what _really_ happened._

"You didn't fight?" George questioned incredulously.

"Not once," Derek confirmed.

"I refuse to believe that."

"George, you know Casey can't lie," Nora reminded him.

"I still can't believe it."

"I think we have to."

"Wait a minute," Lizzie cried. "If they didn't fight, I don't owe Edwin anything!"

"Not fair!" Edwin returned. "Someone has to win!"

They disappeared upstairs, still arguing about it.

George hefted Marti again. "I'll go put this one to bed."

Derek set the knife in the sink as Nora sighed.

"I'm going to bed, too." She grabbed a suitcase and went down to the basement.

Derek walked over to his chair as Casey made her way into the kitchen. From the living room, he heard her opening and closing cabinets and the refrigerator and turning the sink on and off. After a few moments, she came and sat on the couch.

"Did you just put everything up?"

"I wasn't feeling very hungry. Do you want me to get it all out again?" She rose.

"No, I'm not that hungry myself." After a long pause, he looked over to see her eyeing him with a weird expression on her face. "I'm not sick. But I am proud."

"Of what?"

"Of you! For lying so well. I never would have thought it possible."

"I wasn't lying. I was acting."

He thought about that statement. "What's the difference?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea."

Another silence followed. Finally, Derek broke it.

"I really did mean what I said about dating Noel." He turned off the TV and waited for her response.

Casey shrugged and they both stood up. "I wouldn't go out with him again, anyway."

He put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Was it really that bad?" _Please say yes. Please say yes! PLEASE SAY YES!_

"No! We had a great time! It's just that– OW! Derek, you're squeezing my shoulder too hard!"

"Sorry. It's just that what?"

"It's just that we're really good friends and that's all we could ever be."

For a second, Derek seriously thought he heard the Hallelujah chorus playing in the background.

"But you–"

"Hey," George whispered loudly from the stairs. "When you two go to bed, be very quiet."

"OK. Night, Dad." _What about me?_

"Night, George."

"You were saying?" _That we could be more than friends? Get ahold of yourself, Derek. She wouldn't say that._

"What? Oh, right. You seriously need to start dating again. I doubt you've kissed a girl since Halloween."

"Actually…"

"I don't mean me."

"Never mind, then."

"I just think that you're having a mental lapse because it's been so long since you've been in a relationship. Ask someone out tomorrow, why don't you?"

Her subtext was louder than her words. _Someone other than your stepsister._

"Sure, Case." He already knew the name of one girl he could ask, but he really, _really_ didn't want to ask her.

--

**Isn't that just like me? Getting Casey to forgive him and then curving the plot just a little more? I think we all know who he's going to ask… Be warned: Caroline will always be here.**

**Ten!!!**


	14. Caroline

**Disclaimer: I'm disclaiming. The end. That's it.**

**And a belated Happy St. Valentine's Day to all of you!**

**Don't pay attention to what Ginny says. For over two years she's been telling me I'm in denial.**

**The reason I haven't updated in so long… I've had no time for anything lately. (I HATE science fair! I swear, our school is the only school in ten counties that requires its high school students to participate in science fair.)**

_**Chapter 14:**_

"Hey, Casey."

"Hey, Sam."

Sam sat directly across from her.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but why are you sitting here?"

"What, friends can't sit together?" He blew through his straw, shooting the wrapper at her nose.

"They can, but you usually sit with Derek."

Sam shrugged. After a few minutes he began, "Derek told me what happened over break."

"Oh, that."

"Just out of random curiosity, why didn't you call the police?"

Casey thought for a moment. _Why _didn't_ I call the police?_ "I guess it never occurred to me."

"It never occurred to you to get help?"

"Not really. No. I don't know what was running through my head."

Emily sat next to Casey. "Hey, Casey. Hey… Sam."

The table started to fill up. _Noel… Trevor… Alex… Mary…_

"What's goin' on o'er there?" Mary asked in her thick, Irish accent.

Not even bothering to look at the throng of people gathered at one end of the cafeteria, Casey looked at the Irish poster-child and shrugged.

"It might have something to do with Derek's new girlfriend," Emily inferred.

Casey and Sam almost choked. "_Girlfriend?_" they asked in unison.

Emily looked from one to the other. "You two didn't know? I would have thought that at least one of—"

"Who is it?" Casey demanded.

"OK, chill. He asked out Caroline Thomas—"

"_Caroline Thomas_?" Sam all but shouted. "Not Caroline Thomas with short, brown hair and blue eyes."

"That's the one."

"But he's been avoiding her for weeks!"

Casey suddenly realized that this was the same girl she had learned about over the break.

_Why her? Not that I care._

All around her, conversation buzzed.

"I never thought she was that pretty."

"Or that smart."

"Since when 'as Derek cared about that?"

_Caroline? _Caroline?_ Is he _crazy

--

November turned into December, and Derek and Caroline were officially a couple.

One day, as she came home from school, Casey thought, _Why did he have to pick her? What does he see in her anyway? I mean…_

She opened the door. When she saw the living room, she got a horrible sinking feeling in her stomach.

Quietly, she shut the door and tip-toed across the entry way, but when a soft moan escaped Caroline, Casey ran up the stairs and slammed the door to her room.

_Calm down, Casey. You have no right to e angry. You encouraged this. Still, he didn't have to pick _her_. Last week he hated her! What happened to them? Oh, my God. What happened to _me

--

Derek heard a door slam and he promptly pulled back.

"Someone's home," he murmured. "And I'm pretty sure that someone is mad."

"I should probably go." Caroline stood up.

Derek locked th front door after her and went up the stairs.

_Lizzie's door is open. Marti's door is open. My door is closed (naturally). Casey's door is… closed. Oh, boy. This is going to be fun._

Tentatively, he opened her door and waited for the familiar "Der-_ek._" When no sound came, he did a double take just to be sure that she was actually sitting there on her bed.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"That was pretty convincing," he commented honestly.

"Then why are you still here?"

"Because I don't believe you."

"But you said—"

"You didn't yell at me. You didn't scream 'Der-_ek'_ when I walked in without knocking."

"Would you like me to now?"

Derek smirked. "It's a little late."

Casey shrugged as Derek sat next to her.

"So, do you want to tell me what's bugging you?"

"Derek, we got to know one another over the break, but we are definitely _not_ best friends."

He winced. "Well, that wasn't blunt at all."

"Sorry, but it's true."

"Could you tell your brother what's going on?"

"You are _not_ my brother!"

Derek found a little encouragement in that statement, but didn't press in that direction. "Really, Case. What's up?"

Casey sighed. "It might have something to do with you and Caroline… I'm not sure. It could be something else and I don't know what it is…"

"Yeah, and something to do with your ego turning and messing with you id… I get it." He waved it off.

"Since when are you Sigmund Freud?"

"Don't change the subject. You know, not long ago you were all for my getting into a relationship. What happened?"

Not long ago ou wouldn't have gone out with her if she were that last girl on earth."

"Whoa, Casey. Let's not go crazy. And you change your mind, so why can't I change mine? I know I used to think she was a creepy stalker-girl, but I didn't know her then. Caroline's sweet, smart, funny… Case?"

He looked at her. Mouth shut tight, knuckles white from clutching the bed, eyes staring hard at the floor… An idea—or, rather, a hope—of what was wrong came to his mind, but he didn't press it.

"How long do you think this will last?" she asked.

"Two to three weeks. She's not the type of person you go out with once and then toss aside."

"'Two to three weeks'? 'Not the typre of person you go out with once and then toss aside'?" She let out a laugh. "That doesn't sound like the Derek I know."

"The Derek you knew was an idiot. I'm a little different than that guy." He put a hand over hers, relieved when she didn't pull away. "I'm going out with her again tomorrow and…"

She stood and walked to the door, adding a bit more foundation to his suspicions.

"I get it. You're jealous." _Oh, crap. Did I seriously just say that?_

Casey whirled around. "Jealous? You couldn't be more wrong, Venturi." She opened turned the knob and paused in the doorway before looking back at him. "You're right about one thing, though," she added quietly. "You are different."

Derek grinned. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

She shrugged. "I haven't decided yet." She closed the door.

Derek fell back on her bed. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." He whacked his head sharply each time he said the word. _Jealous? What was I thinking? I wasn't. That was the problem! Why don't I think before I speak? Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

--

**Well that took forever. I feel awful, especially since this is probably the last update until March… But that's ot definite so I'll still be needing ten reviews.**

**Ooh! If you like fairy tales, check out my story **_**Missing Beauty**_**. I've had it on my computer since… a long time ago…**


	15. So Far Gone

Disclaimer: Why bother

**Disclaimer: Why bother? Everybody knows…**

**I'm alive! Has anyone ever seen that belated birthday card with Lazarus on it? It reads, "Lazarus tried to explain why he was late in sending a birthday card." Then it shows the man himself telling his confused friend, "I was DEAD I tell you! DEAD and now I'm ALIVE!!" Then the inside says, "My excuse isn't as good…" Yeah, totally random…**

**Finals are OVER!! HALLELUJAH!! So my laptop is on my knees as my parents are driving us home. And Kitty keeps looking up and mouthing at me to talk to that kid in the captain seat in front of me. Yeah. The guy she's trying to set me up with (I mentioned him in chapter two…) is coming home with us for Memorial Day. C'mon! He's my neighbour, his dorm hall is right next to mine, we have all the same classes (excluding 1****st**** period), and I'm now expected to talk to that jerk? Haven't I been tortured enough? "I'm a good gerl I am!"**

**Which brings me to a very important question… How do you throw away a trash can?**

**OK… Let's start now.**

_**Chapter 15:**_

Days rolled by. Weeks rolled by. Finals were one week away and all Casey heard was Derek and Caroline this or Caroline and Derek that. In all honesty, she was about to be driven up the wall.

Caroline had eaten dinner at their house several times during those last few weeks of school, and George and Nora loved her. Casey hated her.

The reason was simple: Derek was absolutely right. And if that weren't unbelievable enough, Caroline was exactly the way he described her. She was sweet, smart, and funny. She loved kids, she loved service, and she loved reading.

The worst thing of all was the fact that she was genuine.

Not that Casey would have preferred that Derek date a possessive witch.

Casey, however, had been hoping to find at least one gram of insincerity in that lightly freckled face. No such luck.

Casey drummed her fingers on her desk early Thursday morning. Silently, she stared at the board, wishing that the cosine of 21.7º would turn into a genie and solve all of her problems. Or that it would become one of those pieces of paper in a fortune cookie.

That would be useless, though. Confuscious had never said a word about getting rid of a girl named Caroline.

"Hey, Casey!"

Casey's thoughts screamed, _Everybody, run for it! It's the omnipresent Big Brother!_ Her mouth said, "Hey, Caroline."

"Derek and I were going to go get coffee and hit the library to study. Do you want to come?"

Casey snapped her head around. "You're kidding, right? Derek at the library? _Studying?_ That's a good one."

Caroline blinked. "He does study. Derek studies really hard. Didn't he tell you what he did on the last English test? He aced it!"

"It must have slipped his mind," Casey mused darkly. _He didn't tell me? Not even to rub it in? What has she done with Derek?_

For a while, Casey had only hated Caroline out of jealousy. Now, things were getting personal.

--

Derek stared at the pen he was balancing on the tip of his nose.

Suddenly his door was thrown open violently by his stepsister. The pen fell to the floor and Derek stopped the timer on his watch and the camera on his computer.

"Case-_ey_!"

Casey stared at him with folded arms.

"I just wanted to know how it felt to say my stepsibling's name like that," he tried, felling a little scared. "Besides you made my pen fall."

Casey continued to glare.

"I was trying to break a world record. Do you realize how close I was? Thirteen seconds. Thirteen seconds away from 37 minutes 47 seconds. I only got to 37 minutes and 35 seconds. I was timing." He held up his watch.

Casey said nothing.

"Pen balancing. I was balancing it on the tip of my nose and–"

"You _aced_ it?"

"Umm… Mrs. Smith only takes completion grades on homework. Of course I aced the assignment."

"So you do your homework too?"

"What are we talking about?"

"The English test."

"Ah." Derek was silent. Wait a second… "You aced it too, didn't you?"

"That's not the point!"

"What is the point?"

"Never mind." She quickly left.

Derek watched the door close. "What is the point?" he asked aloud before bending down to retrieve the pen, resetting his watch, restarting the camera, and putting the pen back in place.

He sat like that for over half an hour, thinking about what in the world could have gotten Casey so worked up. He thought about how her advice to get involved with other girls wasn't working too well.

He didn't even notice when the timer announced that he had been sitting with a pen on his nose for 45 minutes.

--

As Casey closed her door, Lizzie and Edwin poked their head out of the games closet.

"Aww…"

"What's so 'Aww'?"

Lizzie pointed to Derek's door. "She misses the way things used to be! Remember? If he got a good grade he'd always rub it in. She wants thing to be normal again!"

Edwin looked up at her beaming face. "That's not a good thing."

"Sure it is. She's so far gone she doesn't want a Sir Derek, she wants Derek Venturi, attitude and all. It's so sweet!"

"That's something a girl would say."

"In case you haven't noticed, wise guy, I am a girl."

He had noticed.

He had noticed more than she realized.

--

Casey closed her eyes and leaned against the door.

_Why didn't I realize this before? I don't want a knight in shining armor. I want him the way he is. Because underneath that shallow exterior is a guy with a heart and a sense of humour. Idiot._

She waited until she heard the front door close, signifying that he had left to go meet Caroline at the library.

Caey pulled out her phone and pressed 2.

"Hey, Casey."

"Emily! I need to talk to you about Derek."

"What did he do?"

"Nothing!"

"I'm lost."

"Em…" Casey lowered her voice. "I think I'm in love with him."

There was a long pause on the other end.

"Em?"

"Don't move. I'm coming right over."

Within seconds the doorbell rang. Casey opened the door and Emily pulled her upstairs. As soon as the bedroom dor was shut, Emily looked at Casey.

"Start at the beginning. And don't you dare leave anything out."

--

Derek walked through the door of the library and looked around for Caroline. He finally spotted her at a desk laughing with another guy.

_This is going to be a piece of cake._

Caroline saw him and waved him over. "Derek, this is my cousin Mark."

_Never mind…_

He'd wait until Mark was gone before pulling what was necessary.

Too bad Mark didn't ever leave.

--

"Wow." Emily sat on the bed. "I was not expecting any of that."

"What do I do?"

"Do? Nothing. You just wait until they break up and then move."

"Me? Make a move? Be reasonable."

"Do you want to talk to Paul about this?"

"Are you kidding me?"

Emily shook her head. "I can't think of anything else. Other than waiting it out and seeing if it goes away."

"And that might never happen."

"Right. That might never happen."

--

**YAY!! R&R!!**


	16. Mistletoe & Love

I have another question:

**OK. Wow. I didn't expect anyone to notice the **_**My**__**Fair**__**Lady**_** allusion. I didn't even think anyone read these ramblings up here. Thanks for reading these, arbitraryink!**

**I have another question:**

**If more than one cactus are cacti, and if more than one fungus are fungi, and if more than one alveolus are alveoli, and if more than one alumnus are alumni, WHY AREN'T MORE THAN ONE PLATYPUS PLATYPI?!**

**I really want to know.**

_**Chapter 16:**_

"Casey!" Emily ran up to Casey's locker.

"What?"

"You'll never guess what just happened!"

A few seconds elapsed.

"What?"

"Derek and Caroline broke up! She dumped him! Isn't that great news?"

"Break-ups aren't exactly what most people call 'great news.' And getting dumped certainly isn't."

"Well, I think that's just what it is. For you at least. Come on. Let's hit the mall before the crowds get there."

A minute later, as Casey was turning the key in the ignition, she asked Emily, "Are you seriously pushing this?"

"Pushing what?"

"My getting together with my stepbrother." She pulled out of the school parking lot.

"Well… When you put it that way…" Emily looked thoughtful for a moment. "Yes."

Casey sighed and turned up the radio, not really caring what song was playing. It was a short drive to the mall and in a few minutes she was pulling in.

"So? Are you gonna go for it?"

"Em, you know me. Besides, what do you think George and my mom would say?"

"I don't know! Why don't you ask them? Ooh! Pull in there!"

"Uh-uh. Not gonna happen."

"Why? It's a good spot! Right by all the best stores!"

"No." Casey pulled in and put the car in park. "I mean I'm not going to talk to my parents."

"Oh. Gotcha."

--

Derek opened the front door. Finals were finally over and now he had time to relax before Christmas morning when Marti would run into his room screaming, "Wake up, Smerek! Santa was here!"

He hung up his jacket and walked into the kitchen. Casey looked up at him from the cookie recipe she was following.

"I heard Caroline broke up with you today."

"Yeah." He waited for a moment. "What, no ice-cream?" he asked jokingly.

Casey shrugged. "The last time I bothered to get you ice-cream, you had caused the break-up to avoid getting your girlfriend a Valentines Day gift."

"It's not Valentines Day."

"It's almost Christmas. That's ten times more important."

"I didn't start any rumours this time."

"Really?"

"She said I was getting too distant. And that she didn't think it was working out between us. Well, something like that."

"Are you sure you didn't try to act that way just to avoid giving her a Christmas present?"

Derek smiled. "You really think I'd do something like that?"

Casey cracked an egg. "I live with you."

A few minutes went by.

"I was kind of hoping it would happen."

"Fancy that."

"I mean, I was also thinking that we were not working out but I didn't want to do the breaking-up part. You know, the tears thing."

"Hm." She started the mixer. "So, you're positive you didn't–"

"Cas-_ey_!"

She looked up at him with a strange expression on her face.

"Sorry." He shrugged. "I've always wanted to say that. Look, I have no intention of ever getting back together with her, alright?"

"Alright. And I'm sorry I skipped out on buying you ice-cream," she told him sarcastically as she turned the mixer off. "How can I ever make it up to you?"

Derek thought for a moment as she wrapped the dough in wax paper and put it in the fridge. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her purse sitting on the counter.

"Buy me dinner."

"Excuse me?" She turned the faucet off and dried her hands.

He picked up her purse and tossed it to her. "Buy me dinner."

--

"Derek, why are we walking?"

"Because the air feels nice."

"It's below freezing."

"We'll get there."

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Gino's. It's affordable."

"Are you calling me cheap?"

"Not at all," Derek replied. He took her by the hand so they could hurry along faster.

Honestly, all Derek could think about when the split happened was how _relieved_ he was. As cruel as relief over a break-up sounds, that's what he felt. And the best part was that he knew why he felt that way.

He had every intention of paying himself, but he wasn't about to say anything.

--

"Ok…" Casey opened her purse to pull out a credit card.

"I'll get it," Derek said as he slapped his own card down.

Casey looked up at him. "What happened to 'Buy me dinner'?"

Derek shrugged. "I changed my mind."

The waitress took the check and Derek's card away.

"You've been stressed about finals," Derek explained. "Consider this my treat to you to help you unwind."

"I hope you make a habit out of it."

Derek laughed for a few moments before his expression snapped into a frown. "No."

Casey giggled.

The waitress came back and smiled at them. "You and your girlfriend have a good night."

"Oh. Um… Derek's my stepbrother."

Derek looked up at Casey. _Stepbrother…_ He signed the check. _She just had to remind me…_

The waitress took a step back, seeming at a loss for words. "S-sorry," she stuttered. "M-my mistake." She took the receipt that Derek had just signed and quickly walked away.

Casey started giggling again as soon as the waitress was out of sight. Suddenly, Derek realized the hilarity of the situation and started laughing. "C'mon, Case," he said as stood up and held out his hand to her. "Let's go home."

--

Lizzie stood up on her toes as she tacked up the bundle of fungi.

Edwin stood on the porch and crossed his arms. "It's not going to work. They won't notice it."

"For nine dollars at the store," Lizzie replied, "they had better notice it." The chair came very close to tipping at that moment.

"Look out!" Edwin cried as he rushed forward instinctively.

"DON'T!" Lizzie held her hand up as she steadied herself. "Mistletoe, genious."

"Right." Edwin stepped back.

--

Casey and Derek came up the sidewalk, laughing and talking.

"Thanks for covering that, Derek."

"Sure."

As Casey unlocked the front door, Derek noticed something hanging over her head. He smirked and stepped forward just as she swung the door open.

"Hey, Case." She turned and looked at him. "Look up," he told her.

"Mistletoe," she whispered.

"Mistletoe. You know what that means?"

"Edwin and Lizzie are up to something."

"Besides that.'

Casey smiled. "Tell me."

Derek continued to smirk. "Why don't I show you?" And with that, he kissed her.

After a moment, Casey pushed him back suddenly. "Wait, I'm not just your rebound from Caroline, am I?"

"Not at all," Derek replied as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Caroline was the rebound. You're the real thing." He pressed his lips against hers again.

And then:

"Oh, my– George, is–"

"Oh, my God."

"What? No! This wasn't supposed to happen now! That wasn't supposed to work!"

"Ha! You owe me fifty bucks, Edwin!"

--

**YAY!! Ok… R&R!! The last official chapter is almost ready to go (then we have the Epilogue) so as soon as I get 10 reviews I'll put it up!**


	17. Life with Derek

Disclaimer:

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: I'm telling you! I don't own this show!**

**Cop: Tell it to the judge, kid.**

**Me: No! It's not mine! I swear!**

**Next to last chapter! I'm really sad! Just so y'all know, I'm **_**not**_** going to post a huge thank you page after the epilogue (which I'll explain next). So right now, I'm going to say a huge THANK YOU to every single person who ever read, reviewed, or added this story to his or her favourites or alerts list. And I'd like to thank my sister for simply being crazy and being my biggest supporter. Love you all!**

**OK… Epilogue. I have two separate Epilogues that I have written. The first is my personal favourite while the second is pretty short and blah. Basically, I'll be posting both with my least favourite first. Just a warning so that you don't delete this from your alerts list once you see the word "Epilogue."**

**Moving on:**

_**Chapter 17:**_

Derek and Casey jumped away from each other as soon as they heard Nora's voice.

"What is it?" Marti cried as she bounded down the stairs. She was wearing a dinosaur costume and a headband with deer antlers attached. "Did we get a pony?"

George and Nora stared at Lizzie and Edwin.

"You knew about this?" Nora asked.

"And you were _betting_ on it?" George adjoined.

"Well, mom…"

"You see, dad… uh…"

"Lizzie and Edwin knew about the pony and I didn't? No one ever tells me anything!"

George pointed up the stairs. "Both of you. Upstairs. Now. We'll talk to you two later." He looked at Marti for a moment before adding, "And take the dino-deer with you."

"Marti looked at him indignantly. "I'm not a dino-deer. I'm a dragon-moose."

Casey and Derek started snickering.

"There's nothing funny, here," George stated. "And close the door!"

"George." Nora put a hand on his arm. "Don't you think you're being a little–"

"Nora, I'm actually going to crack down on my kids for once!"

Nora rolled her eyes and gave Casey and Derek a half-smile.

"Come on, Marti," Lizzie said as she took the girl's hand.

"Are Casey and Smerek in trouble?"

"I'm not sticking around to find out," Edwin commented. He bolted up the stairs with Lizzie and Marti trailing behind.

George pointed to the table. "Sit."

Casey and Derek sat on one side of the table and George and Nora sat on the other.

"Explain."

The two teens looked at each other. "Explain what?" Derek asked.

"Explain what we just saw," Nora elaborated. "What was happening in the doorway."

"That, Nora, was a kiss," Derek told her. "A kiss is when–"

"We know what we saw, Derek," George interrupted, exasperated. "What we want to know is how. And why."

"There was mistletoe…" Casey justified weakly.

"The laws of mistletoe shouldn't apply to you two," Nora replied.

"Agreed. You're stepsiblings, for crying out loud!"

"So, since there's nothing going on, we can just let it go, right?"

"That is, assuming there is no relationship going on here."

Derek looked at the top of the table._ Stepsiblings… Stepsister… Stepbrother… Why do people keep saying these things to me?_ Derek wondered.

"Yes!" Casey cried. "We are stepsiblings!"

Derek's head snapped up. "What?" _She's not going along with the stepfamily thing too, is she?_

"What?" George and Nora looked at her quizzically.

"We _are_ stepsiblings."

_Great job, Case. You are _really_ helping the situation._

"_Step_siblings." Casey looked at the two adults, begging them to understand. "There's a reason for the 'step' being there! To let the world know that we're not related!"

_Great job, Case! You _are _really helping the situation!_

George and Nora looked at each other and back at the teens.

"So there is a relationship?"

George looked at the two of them sternly. "Go to your rooms, you _own_ rooms, and do not come out until we tell you to."

Casey and Derek climbed the stairs and quietly slipped into their own rooms.

--

Casey lay in bed for what seemed like hours before she heard two people climbing the steps. One person continued climbing up to the attic while the other knocked on a door, said something, inaudible, knocked on another door, said something again, and finally knocked on Casey's door.

"Yes?"

Nora opened her daughter's door. "Come downstairs. We're having a family meeting."

Casey entered the living room to find Derek and Lizzie already on the couch. Edwin came in after her, and, following a long awkward silence, George and Nora came in.

"Nora and I have talked about… this… and we've decided that we cannot allow this relationship to go on."

Casey and Derek hung their heads simultaneously.

"Without proper boundaries," Nora finished.

The two teens looked up.

"We realize now– _I_ realize now," George amended upon receiving a glance from Nora, "that we can't control what you two feel, but we _can_ control what you two _do_."

"Well, that's great," Edwin commented, standing up. "Great meeting, everyone. Now if all of you will excuse me, it's midnight and­–"

"Sit down, Edwin," George ordered.

Edwin sat.

"The rules," Nora began, "are to be followed as long as you are living under this roof. Your curfew is eleven, except on special occasions."

"Like anniversaries?" Derek asked.

"Like prom," George corrected. "We are to know where the two of you are at _all_ times. And don't even think about asking, 'Do we have to text you to let you know we're in math?' You know what we mean, Derek."

"You will leave your bedroom doors open all the time. Marti is to know absolutely nothing about this until she is old enough to understand."

"Next, Derek, you and Edwin will be switching rooms and we will be switching rooms with Casey. Don't even think about arguing, Edwin. This decision is final."

"Now, you two," Nora nodded at Casey and Derek, "go upstairs and start moving your stuff out."

The two of them were gone in a flash.

"What about us?" Lizzie asked. "Why can't we go?"

"Because we are going to have a talk," George explained. "About _this_." He pointed to the sprig of mistletoe that Nora was holding out.

Lizzie and Edwin gulped and looked at each other.

"We have already talked to you two about meddling," George began.

"Yeah," Edwin interrupted, "but that was when it produced negative results!"

"Edwin," his father warned.

"Sorry."

--

Casey set more of her jeans on the bed and looked at her doorway where Derek was standing.

"Well, I have to admit, that wasn't so bad," he commented.

"No, it wasn't."

"Looks like you're going to get the basement after all."

"Jealous?" she teased.

"No, just confused." He came in and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Confused? Why?"

"Well, they said we have to leave our doors open at all times, but I won't _have_ a door."

Casey giggled and closed yet another empty drawer. "You know what this means right?"

"What?"

"We can't break up. Ever."

"Why not?"

"Can you imagine the tension?"

He could. But it didn't matter. Now that he was certain that they had something going, he couldn't even imagine that something ending.

Derek lay back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. "You know, Case, sometimes my life is so cliché it could be a TV show."

"Really? What would you call it if it were?"

"_Living Life with Casey_. No, _Life with Casey_."

Casey scoffed. "_Life with Derek_ is more like it."

"I like that one," he agreed.

"Of course you do! It has your name in it!" She turned back to what she was doing as Derek smirked.

--

**The Epilogues are complete, so lets get all of those reviews in!**

**Thanks again to everyone!!**

**By the way, if you actually read these ramblings at the top and bottom, let me know via email and I will send you the first chapter of the possible sequel. It's a Lizwin.**


	18. Epilogue

1:52

**Disclaimer: I'm disclaiming for the final time (in this story anyway).**

**Never mind. I'm only posting this one. This is my favourite ending. The other one is basically the same except for a few minor details and the fact that it's much shorter.**

**Enjoy!**

_**Epilogue:**_

1:52...1:51...1:50...

"There's no way," Casey whispered. This was a true statement. With less than two minutes left and the Canadiens up by one, there was almost no way the Leafs could possibly score, put the game into overtime, and advance to the Stanley cup.

Or so she thought.

The captain, number 10, suddenly had a perfect breakaway. Steen began moving toward the goal when one of the Montreal wingers moved in the way, forcing Steen to run into him. The referee skated over blowing his whistle and motioning with his hands.

Half the stadium burst into applause while the other half, Casey included, rose to its feet, screening in rage.

"That wasn't a charge!" Casey cried. "The guy jumped in front of him! Are you blind?"

The official paid no mind to her or anyone else and called a major penalty, putting Steen on the penalty bench for five minutes, or, as far as the clock was concerned, one minute and 37 seconds. Without the unlikely over-time.

The timer started again.

1:36...1:35...1:34...

The center passed to the left-winger. Several Canadiens slammed into the center, knocking him and themselves into the boards. The left-winger passed to the right winger, who, incidentally, was rather close to the crease.

"Shoot, Venturi!" the coach screamed.

The player quickly shot the puck toward the goal.

1:07...1:06...1:05...

The goaltender made a quick scramble.

The Montreal fans roared in approval while the visitors from Toronto groaned.

_That could have been this teams first Gordie Howe for all we know!_

54...53...52...

Casey looked at Steen as he sat, dejected, on the penalty bench. Her eyes traveled to the ice where the referee was blowing his whistle and motioning animatedly between the center and one of the Montreal players.

"This can't be good."

"It's not," Lindsay, Casey's old roommate, replied. "Jason just got in a fight with one of the guys who ran into him. The ref's giving them a warning. Where've you been?"

Casey smiled and shrugged. Lindsay was Jason's sister and just so happened to be dating the goaltender for the Leafs. "Somewhere else."

38...37...36...

The defensemen rushed to keep the puck from crossing the blue line.

31...30...29...

The puck slid past and the defensemen moved as fast as they could to prevent a breakaway.

26...25...24...

The Canadien left winger made a deke and passed to the right-winger who shot at the goal.

21...20...19...

The goaltender made a great butterfly save. Casey looked at the beautiful, beaming redhead to her right.

12...11...10...

A defenseman took the puck and long bombed it.

8...7...6...

The right wing received and passed to the left wing.

4...3...2...

The left wing shot.

1...0...

The puck entered the goal.

The home spectators burst into raucous cheers while the disappointed visitors left the stands.

Lindsay grabbed Casey's arm. "10:15. Don't forget."

"We won't." Casey looked at the bench where the team was congregating, now joined by Steen. The right-winger met her eyes and smiled.

"Don't let that one get away from you."

Casey turned to her left. "I'm sorry?"

"Don't let him get away," the woman repeated. She was in her mid-50's and was accompanied by two small boys who were at the moment fighting over two Maple Leafs T-shirts.

"My daughter went to high school with Derek Venturi. She said he was sweet but a real heartbreaker."

"He certainly was. Who's your daughter? Derek and I were in the same grade at Sir Thomson. I might know her."

The woman smiled. "At the time she was Caroline Thomas. Now she's married with twins…" She turned to one of the boys who was tugging on her sleeve. "Alright! We'll leave now." She looked at Casey and smile. "Just hold on tight to your boyfriend, Ok?"

Casey blinked several times. "Derek's my stepbrother," she uneasily informed the woman.

The woman's mouth opened slightly. Flustered, she murmured, "So sorry. My mistake." She quickly walked away from the awkward situation.

Casey waited until the woman was gone before breaking into a wide grin. _That never gets old._

--

The locker-room doors opened as one of the forwards walked out.

"Hey, Casey."

"Hey, Brian."

Casey entered the locker-room, noting that it was entirely empty with the exception of one player.

Next to his completely packed bag, Derek sat with his head down, his expression unreadable due to the hair completely covering his face.

Casey walked over. "Derek? Are you alright?" She put a hand on his jeans-covered knee.

"Yeah."

"For heaven's sake, Derek. It's not that bad. You were a mere millimeter away from a Gordie Howe."

"I know." He looked up at her. "I'm not upset about the game, Case."

"Then wh– "

"I'm being traded. To the Canadiens."

"Oh." Casey sat net to him. "That's not too bad, is it?"

"They're trading Jordan for Jason, myself, and 1.5 million."

"Jordan's one of they're best players. If they're willing to trade him, they must really want you and Jason."

"And 1.5 million."

Casey sighed. "Why now? At the end of the season?"

Derek shrugged. "It happened to Gretzky."

"Derek, that was over 25 years ago."

"Yeah, I know."

A few minutes elapsed.

"When?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Casey had a horrible sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Is it possible to get a ticket and find an apartment in that amount of time?"

"The team– "

"Which one?"

"Montreal. The team is paying for airfare and housing until I can find something."

"I'll call Sam and Lindsay and tell them we're canceling."

"Why?"

"Derek. Packing."

"Right." He slung his bag over his shoulder and picked up his stick.

--

The drive home was painfully silent.

Derek carefully steered through the pouring rain.

_Get it together. She'll meet some other guy and you'll meet some other girl. You'll both get through this soon enough._

_The apartment should be big enough for two!_

_She has a life here. And a job. I can't ask her to move. Besides, I only have one ticket._

_Buy another one for a later flight!_

_I can't do that!_

He parked in front of their townhouse and they both sprinted to the door.

As Casey fetched a suitcase from the closet, Derek walked upstairs to their room and started pulling clothes from all the drawers. He began pulling out socks and stumbled across a small, black box.

If only he could stay in Toronto, they might have been able to actually start a family together. But he wasn't staying in Toronto.

Casey had to stay in this city. She had a comfortable job as an editor at a publishing company and couldn't suddenly uproot herself. And he couldn't ask her to.

He was just about to set it on the bed when he heard, "What's that?"

He spun around. _Just go ahead and tell her. She'll hate you if you don't. _"It's a ring."

"A ring?"

"Yes."

"A _ring_?"

"Yes, Casey. How many ways can there be to interpret 'a ring?'"

Casey walked over and took the little box. She opened it up. "Derek Venturi! What is this?"

"I already told you! It's–"

"I know it's a ring. I want to know what it's for."

"Well, Case, I was going to ask you to marry me…"

"Was? What on earth made you change your mind?"

"Case, I'm leaving. That means you'd have to leave too. You'd have to leave your job. You love your job!"

"But I love _you_ more." She put her hand on his chest. "When will you get that through your big head?"

"Hey, it's not _that_ big."

"Please. Sometimes I wonder how it actually fits through the door!"

"Personally, I think I've improved since I was in high school."

"To a certain extent, yes. But most of the time, you're still the same old Derek Venturi."

"Except when I'm being sentimental."

Casey smiled. "Except when you're being sentimental."

Derek smiled back at her. "So, does that mean you'll be coming with me?" Before she could reply, he continued, "I know the apartment won't be that big, but once the season starts, I'll buy us a house. An actual house with a yard for the kids."

"Derek, that's–"

"And we can go wherever you want for our honeymoon," he rambled on. "London, Paris… You name it. Exchange rates are pretty good now anyway."

"Derek–"

"And, If you don't mind, I've been thinking about asking Edwin to be the best–"

"Derek!"

"What?"

"I think I missed the part where you asked me to marry you in the first place."

Derek's jaw dropped slightly. "Oh. Right. That part." He took the box from her, got down on one knee, and held out the box with the ring inside. "Casey McDonald," he began, "I know that I am a conceited, stubborn jerk–"

"Yes, you–"

"SHHH!!" He shushed her loudly as she began laughing quietly. "Derek's time to talk. Casey's time is next. Anyway, I know that I have made many major, stupid mistakes in the past, yet you are still here. With that in mind, I'm now going to risk everything, which is something I never do, mind you…"

Casey rolled her eyes and continued to laugh.

"I'm going to risk everything and ask you to marry me. I'll even," he shuddered, "_beg_ if it comes to that. Well?"

She said nothing. She merely knelt down beside him and kissed him passionately, which he took as a sign of her consent.

--

**WAHOO!! I'm done!! That's actually kind of sad… OK… now it's time for me to actually start caring about school (started **_**today**_**!) and stop writing fanfiction stories.**

**I said it was time to. Not that I was going to. Again, if you want the first chapter of that Lizwin story, let me know (if you haven't already) and I'll email it to you!**


End file.
